Russia hopes Putin, Erdogan can agree joint measures at Syria talks, Kremlin says

The Kremlin has said it hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be able to agree on a set of joint measures for the Syrian province of Idlib when they meet for talks in Moscow on Thursday.

“We plan to discuss the Idlib crisis,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We expect to reach a common understanding on the crisis, the cause of the crisis, the harmful effects of the crisis and arrive at a set of necessary joint measures.”

Erdogan reiterated on Wednesday that he expects his talks with Putin this week to result in the rapid achievement of a ceasefire in northwest Syria’s Idlib region, Reuters said.

The Turkish Army and the Syrian rebels it backs have escalated attacks in Idlib against Syrian government forces backed by Russia.