The Kremlin described the upcoming Russian and Turkish presidents' talks in Moscow as not going to be easy, while the foreign ministers of the two countries discussed on Sunday the preparations for the summit that comes after Turkey launched Operation "Spring Shield" against the Syrian regime forces in Idlib.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks in Moscow on 5 and 6 March.
He added that the talks will not be easy, but the two sides will work to approach their views on how to implement the Sochi agreements, and the pledges that each party must fulfill.
On the other hand, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoغلlu discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov by phone, regarding the preparations to meet the leaders of the two countries, according to sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
"The two ministers announced their support for adopting measures to create a favorable environment to facilitate the effectiveness of the dialogue, in order to implement agreements to support a settlement in Syria and other issues on the agenda of Russian-Turkish relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Erdogan announced yesterday in a speech in Istanbul that he asked Putin during a phone call on Friday to "stay away from the path" of the Turkish army in Syria, explaining that the Syrian regime forces "will pay the price" of their attacks against Turkish forces.
On Tuesday, the Turkish parliament is scheduled to hold a closed session to hear Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoغلlu, on the latest developments in Idlib, in the presence of Fuad Oktay, Vice President.
Today, Akar announced that the "Spring Shield" operation against the Syrian regime forces in Idlib began after "a treacherous attack on Turkish forces" on February 27.