Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met on Saturday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov just ahead of a four-way Istanbul summit on Syria.
Çavuşoğlu and Lavrov held a bilateral and inter-delegation meeting, according to Turkish diplomatic sources who asked not to be named, due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
No further details of the meeting were provided.
Turkey will save northern Syria from the cruelty of YPG/PKK terrorist organizations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday.“The way we freed Afrin, we will save other lands of northern Syria [such as] Manbij, Ayn al-Arab, Tel Abyad from the cruelty of separatist [YPG/PKK] terrorist organization,” Erdoğan said at a graduation ceremony of Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy in the capital Ankara.“Now, they are digging trenches around Manbij,” Erdoğan said, referring to the terrorist group YPG/PKK. “They are digging their own graves,” he added.“Apparently, they will not leave a lot of work for us,” the Turkish president said.On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to free northwestern Syrian city of Afrin of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists. On March 18, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin city center.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.Turkish forces ‘neutralize’ 12 PKK terrorists in a weekUN led aid convoy to Syria's Rukban camp postponedRefugees in Syria’s Idlib struggle with rains, floodingUN body welcomes upcoming Istanbul Summit on Syria
Turkey to save N. Syria from ‘cruelty of terrorists’
The summit on Syria, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN special Syria envoy, will also attend the summit, which will follow a joint statement.
During the summit, the participants will address the Syrian conflict in all its aspects, focusing on the situation on the ground, the Idlib agreement, and the political process, and to harmonize joint efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
The leaders will also discuss the Sept. 17 agreement between Ankara and Moscow to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.
Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and Iranian-supported terror groups violated Sochi agreement by attacking civilians in Idlib de-escalation zone on Friday.A total of seven civilians, three of them children, were killed by the artillery and rocket strikes by the regime and the terror groups targeting Raffa village in Idlib de-escalation zone in violation of the Sept. 17 Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia, according to White Helmets civil defense agency.Mustafa Haj Yusuf, the local head of the White Helmets in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that 10 civilians were also injured in the attacks.In the last 10 days, the regime forces had also carried out attacks on the opposition-held region.Syria regime violating Turkey-Russia Idlib deal: White HelmetsRussia planning Syria summit with Turkey, Iran: LavrovRussia, US agree to expand coordination in SyriaAfter a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Syria’s Idlib province.According to the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing a resumption of fighting.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.Refugees in Syria’s Idlib struggle with rains, floodingSyrian graffiti artist pays tribute to slain journalistSummit on Syria to explore ways for political solution
Assad regime violates Sochi agreement in Syria's Idlib