Syria: Turkish diplomacy on all fronts

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this Saturday, February 15. Turkish Foreign Ministry / Handout via REUTERS

Text by: RFI Follow

This Saturday, February 15, the head of Turkish diplomacy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference about the situation in Idleb. At the same time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke over the phone with President Donald Trump on how to end the crisis.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul , Anne Andlauer

At the same time that it is proceeding to Idleb with one of the largest deployments of troops and military equipment ever carried out beyond its borders, Turkey is active on all diplomatic fronts to find a way out of the crisis .

Time is running out: each passing day increases the risk of a new deadly confrontation between Turkish and Syrian soldiers, and the number of civilians fleeing to Turkish borders.

His first interlocutor is obviously Russia, the main supporter of the Syrian regime and its offensive on Idleb. By interposed statements, Turkish and Russian officials exchanged acerbic words , rejecting responsibility for the crisis. But the dialogue remains open.

After the meeting between the heads of Turkish and Russian diplomacy, a Turkish delegation is expected in Moscow on Monday. Turkey knows that it will have to go through Russia to get what it wants: a lasting agreement, not only on Idleb but also on all the other regions of northern Syria where its army is deployed.

Turkey is also discussing with the United States the fate of Idleb - one of the rare subjects for a long time on which the two countries are on the same wavelength. The American room for maneuver at Idleb is limited but, on this subject as on others, Ankara wishes to maintain a balance between the West and Moscow, to better play with one and the other.

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  • Syria
  • Turkey
  • Russia

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