Turkey says it will take steps if talks with Russia on Syria's Idlib fail

Mevlut Cavusoglu

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey wants to solve issues with Russia over the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib through diplomacy but will take other steps if necessary, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.

Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the conflict, but have collaborated to reach a political solution. A Syrian government offensive disrupted Ankara and Moscow’s fragile cooperation, after 13 Turkish troops were killed in two weeks.

Speaking to reporters during the Munich Security Conference, Cavusoglu also said a Turkish delegation would go to Moscow on Monday to hold talks over Idlib, adding that he would also meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov later on Saturday.