Russia: No meeting is scheduled with Erdogan on Idlib

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied reports that a meeting is scheduled between Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 5 March in Istanbul, TASS has reported. “Putin has other working plans for 5 March,” Peskov told journalists.

Kremlin denies Erdogan-Putin meeting planned for March 5 – a few days ago the Turkish president spoke about this possibility (another indication of deteriorating relationship over conflicting positions in #Idlib)

— Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz) February 27, 2020

Turkey’s President Erdogan told local reporters on Wednesday that a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is indeed likely to take place next Thursday. He reiterated the view that his country’s armed forces are in Syrian Idlib legitimately according to the Adana Agreement. “This agreement opens the way for Turkey to enter those territories if any adverse events take place,” he explained.

The Adana Agreement is a deal between Turkey’s ex-President Suleyman Demirel and Syria’s late President Hafez Al-Assad to ensure the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK ) terrorist group wouldn’t receive support from the Syrian state, and that Damascus would help protect Turkey’s borders.

The Adana Agreement between Turkey and Syria—still valid—can be the better path to achieve security. #Iran can help bring together the Syrian Kurds, the Syrian Govt, and Turkey so that the Syrian Army together with Turkey can guard the border.

From my interview with @trtworld: pic.twitter.com/q05OFnlpaN

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) October 12, 2019

Due to another expected refugee influx from Syria, Turkey wants to agree with international leaders on the way to solve the Idlib crisis. Last week, Erdogan said that he will meet his Russian, German and French counterparts on 5 March to discuss the situation in Idlib, where a recent push by government forces has displaced nearly a million people.

Later, he said that there was not yet full agreement on holding a four-way Syrian summit on 5 March with Russia, France and Germany, but he may meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin on that date.

The Kremlin`s denial of this prompts suspicion about the relationship between Ankara and Moscow.

Kremlin says Putin not planning to meet Erdogan on March 5 in Istanbul, contradicting earlier Erdogan statement. (Conflict between Russia and Turkey over Syria means they can't even agree on a date.) https://t.co/y4L3nO2uAl

— Lucian Kim (@Lucian_Kim) February 27, 2020

NOTE: At 09.23(GMT) on 28 February 2020 this piece was corrected to reference the Adana not Astana talks. 

READ: Turkey is the only hope for the victims of the genocidal onslaught in Idlib