Putin, Erdogan meet in Moscow on Thursday to discuss Idlib crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet on Thursday at the Kremlin against the background of escalating tensions in Syria’s Idlib province, TASS reports.

"Plans are in store to discuss the Idlib crisis with Erdogan. We expect that an understanding on the forerunner of that crisis, the reasons for that crisis, the fallout from that crisis and the package of necessary joint measures aimed at ending it will be reached," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

The Kremlin spokesman refrained from specifying what particular measures were meant. "Let’s wait for tomorrow," he said.

Peskov earlier stressed that Moscow was committed to the Sochi agreements, favored Syria’s territorial integrity, supported Syria’s determination to continue the fight against terrorist groups, including those on the UN Security Council’s list and assigned high priority to cooperation with its Turkish partners.

The Turkish president told journalists that he expected a ceasefire would be declared in Idlib following his Thursday’s talks with President Putin.