Tensions rise in Syria after Turkish soldier killed in Idlib – By Al Jazeera Staff (Al Jazeera) / Feb 23 2020
Turkish president says he will meet leaders of Russia, France and Germany to discuss Idlib at summit on March 5.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will meet the leaders of Russia, France and Germany next month to discuss the situation in northwest Syria, where a military push by Moscow-backed government forces against the last opposition-held enclave has displaced nearly a million people.
His comments on Saturday came as the Turkish defence ministry said a Turkish soldier had been killed in Syria’s Idlib province in a bomb attack by government forces, becoming Turkey’s 16th military death during a month in which talks between Ankara and Moscow have failed to de-escalate a recent spike in fighting.
Speaking to reporters in Izmir, Erdogan did not specify where the March 5 meeting would be held. He added, however, that Turkey “determined our road map” for Syria after calls on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I expressed our determination clearly” to them, said Erdogan, who last week threatened an “imminent” operation against Syrian forces in the region.
Turkey has sent thousands of troops and equipment to the region just south of its border to head off the government forces’ campaign driven by Russian air raids. Already hosting some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, it says it cannot handle another wave and has closed its borders.
Macron and Merkel on Friday expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Idlib and urged an end to the conflict, while the Kremlin said it was discussing the possibility of holding a four-way summit.
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