Reuters, Alanya :
Russia will continue its operations in eastern Aleppo and will rescue the Syrian city from terrorists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday during a visit to Turkey.
Speaking at a joint press conference after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Mediterranean town of Alanya, Lavrov said Russia would continue efforts to allow humanitarian aid into Aleppo, according to a Turkish translation of his comments.
Cavusoglu said he and Lavrov had agreed on the need for a ceasefire in Aleppo and the rest of Syria, although he said Turkey’s stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was clear.
Russia is a main backer of Assad, while Turkey supports the rebels fighting to oust him. The rebels have come under siege in eastern Aleppo after rapid advances by Syrian government forces, bringing them to the brink of a major defeat.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Wednesday demanded an explanation after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara intervened in the Syria conflict solely to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkish forces are pressing on with a three-month operation inside Syria in support of anti-Assad forces, while Russia is the chief ally of the Syrian president in the conflict that has claimed more than 300,000 lives since 2011.
At the same time, Turkey and Russia have also been working hard to improve relations after clinching a reconciliation deal in June to repair ties brought to a historic low by Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian jet in November 2015.
Erdogan had said at a meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday: “We went in there to put an end to the rule of the tyrant Assad who carries out state terror, not for anything else.”
His comments came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Turkish resort of Alanya on Thursday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he hoped that “clarification will come shortly from our Turkish partners”.
Peskov said Erdogan’s comment “is not in harmony with previous statements” and “not in harmony with our understanding of the situation”.
·The Syrian foreign ministry said Erdogan’s statement “shows clearly that the flagrant Turkish aggression against the Syrian territory is only the result of the ambitions and the illusions of an extremist despot”.
“The leaders, the army and the Syrian people will not allow this arrogant despot to interfere in their affairs,” it said in a statement.
Turkey is waging the operation against Islamic State (IS) jihadists and also Kurdish militia to back pro-Ankara rebels, in an unprecedented military incursion.
There has so far been no indication of clashes with Assad’s forces or that Turkey plans any offensive against regime-held territory.
Russia has generally steered clear of any sharp criticism of the Turkish offensive.
But the Turkish army accused Damascus last week of launching an air strike that killed four Turkish soldiers in Syria, the first time it has made such a claim during the incursion.
Russia will continue its operations in eastern Aleppo and will rescue the Syrian city from terrorists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday during a visit to Turkey.
Speaking at a joint press conference after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Mediterranean town of Alanya, Lavrov said Russia would continue efforts to allow humanitarian aid into Aleppo, according to a Turkish translation of his comments.
Cavusoglu said he and Lavrov had agreed on the need for a ceasefire in Aleppo and the rest of Syria, although he said Turkey’s stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was clear.
Russia is a main backer of Assad, while Turkey supports the rebels fighting to oust him. The rebels have come under siege in eastern Aleppo after rapid advances by Syrian government forces, bringing them to the brink of a major defeat.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Wednesday demanded an explanation after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara intervened in the Syria conflict solely to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkish forces are pressing on with a three-month operation inside Syria in support of anti-Assad forces, while Russia is the chief ally of the Syrian president in the conflict that has claimed more than 300,000 lives since 2011.
At the same time, Turkey and Russia have also been working hard to improve relations after clinching a reconciliation deal in June to repair ties brought to a historic low by Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian jet in November 2015.
Erdogan had said at a meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday: “We went in there to put an end to the rule of the tyrant Assad who carries out state terror, not for anything else.”
His comments came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Turkish resort of Alanya on Thursday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he hoped that “clarification will come shortly from our Turkish partners”.
Peskov said Erdogan’s comment “is not in harmony with previous statements” and “not in harmony with our understanding of the situation”.
·The Syrian foreign ministry said Erdogan’s statement “shows clearly that the flagrant Turkish aggression against the Syrian territory is only the result of the ambitions and the illusions of an extremist despot”.
“The leaders, the army and the Syrian people will not allow this arrogant despot to interfere in their affairs,” it said in a statement.
Turkey is waging the operation against Islamic State (IS) jihadists and also Kurdish militia to back pro-Ankara rebels, in an unprecedented military incursion.
There has so far been no indication of clashes with Assad’s forces or that Turkey plans any offensive against regime-held territory.
Russia has generally steered clear of any sharp criticism of the Turkish offensive.
But the Turkish army accused Damascus last week of launching an air strike that killed four Turkish soldiers in Syria, the first time it has made such a claim during the incursion.
