Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Erdogan Heads to Moscow as Tensions Over Syria Escalate

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Moscow on
   Tuesday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to bridge the
   deepening divide over Syria.

   Erdogan is calling for an end to the Russian-backed Damascus offensive
   against rebels in Syria's Idlib province.

   "This meeting is a very significant one because Turkish-Russian
   relations [do] not seem to be as rosy at they were only a short while
   ago," said Soli Ozel, international relations lecturer at Kadir Has
   University in Istanbul. "And this is a function of what is going on in
   Idlib."

   Ozel added, "He [Erdogan] will want the [Damascus] offensive to stop.
   That will not happen. I don't think Erdogan will get much. It's going
   to be a tough meeting."

   Last week, Erdogan warned that the Idlib offensive threatened a
   humanitarian crisis and posed a threat to Turkish national security.

   In September 2018, Ankara and Moscow hammered out an agreement at the
   Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi which averted Damascus from launching
   an offensive against Idlib.

.