Turkish president to embark on Russia visit on Thursday

By Davut Demircan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday to discuss recent developments in Syria's restive province of Idlib.

Erdogan will embark on a day-long official visit to Moscow, according to Turkey's Communications Directorate.

The leaders will discuss Idlib and other recent developments in Syria, it added.

Idlib has been a stronghold of the opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

In September 2018, Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement in Sochi, Russia, to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

But more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12.

This escalation last week also martyred 34 Turkish soldiers, who were in Idlib to protect local civilians.

Erdogan recently condemned this attack and urged Russia to live up to the Astana and Sochi peace processes for Syria.