NEWS CENTER - The phone call was initiated by Turkey and both sides were ready to work together to avoid further escalation, Russia's Foreign Minister said.
President Erdoğan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia have spoken by phone, discussing the implementation of agreements on Syria's Idlib, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced.
The phone call was initiated by Ankara, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, adding that Russia and Turkey were ready to continue coordinating on the Syrian province of Idlib.
An airstrike on Turkey's troops in Idlib yesterday (February 27) claimed the lives of 33 soldiers and wounded dozens. In retaliation, Turkey said it hit over 200 targets belonging to the government forces of Syria with artillery and missiles.
On the attack, Lavrov reiterated Russia's commitment to the agreements with Turkey and said they would work to avoid escalation. He offered condolences to Turkey.
The minister also said that "Syria has the right to fight terrorism, and Russia can not and will not force it to give up that right," and urged Turkey to separate the "terrorist and opposition groups" in Idlib.
Senator: NATO would not come to Turkey's defense
Vladimir Dzhabarov, the deputy chair of the foreign affairs committee of the upper chamber of Russia's parliament, urged Turkey to not star a large-scale operation in Idlib.
Such an operation would make Turkey suffer as well, he said, adding that if Ankara hopes to get support from NATO it will be disappointed.
CLICK - Defense Minister Says Turkey's Operations Continue in Idlib Despite Attack on Soldiers
"Turkey is not acting on its soil, but on the soil of another nation. So its hope that NATO would come to its defense seems groundless," he said.
"If the Turks bet on military force, that would be a really bad idea since winning such a war would be difficult," he added. "Syria is not alone; it has allies in the Arab world, which will support it."
Dzhabarov recalled the crisis erupted between Moscow and Ankara after Turkey's fighter jets downed a Russian warplane after it violated Turkey's border, saying that the relations have become normal again after Ankara apologized.
He warned that if Turkey "continues the same policy" and conducts attacks, including Russia's planes on Syria, that would cause an unwanted conflict between the two countries.