UPDATE - Russian delegation to visit Turkey over Idlib attack

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH FM

By Sibel Morrow

ANKARA (AA) - A Russian delegation is expected to visit Turkey in the wake of a Syrian regime attack on Turkish troops in Idlib, Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday.

Speaking to the reporters in the Azerbaijani capital Baku which he was visiting to attend a Turkic Council meeting, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Turkish and Russian leaders will meet too, if there is a need.

Cavusoglu said what Turkey expects from Russia, the guarantor country for the Syrian regime, "is to stop regime [attacks]" which claimed "lives of almost 2,000 civilians."

He recalled that Turkey, Russia and Iran work in Ankara, Moscow, Sochi, Tehran, and Astana for a permanent cease-fire in Syria and political solution for the crisis.

In the recent phone conversation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin addressed all the issues extensively and reiterated cooperation, Cavusoglu said.

"Now, we expect a Russian delegation. After the delegation, our President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and Russian President [Vladimir] Putin will meet if there is a need. Our main aim is to stop conflicts."

Cavusoglu underlined that Turkey did not target Russia but the Syrian regime in Idlib as "the regime is responsible for the attack [on Turkish troops]."

The Russian delegation’s visit is expected to come after Monday’s attack in Idlib, northwestern Syria, that martyred seven Turkish soldiers and one civilian contractor working with the Turkish military.