Kalın’s statement arrives hours before Erdogan’s visit to Moscow amid mounting tensions over Idlib, where Turkey launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following increasing clashes in the last rebel stronghold.

Russia accused Turkey of collaborating with terrorists in Idlib, northwest Syria, ahead of Thursday’s meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents to address the escalating conflict in the province.

Erdogan and Putin signed a deal in Sochi in September 2018 to de-escalate the conflict in Idlib, but Russia says Turkey has failed to honor the deal by allowing what it calls extremists free rein in the province. Turkey says Russia has broken its promises by supporting Syrian government offensives since last year, Ahval reported.

Turkey responded to the Syrian government’s advances this year by deploying thousands of troops to Idlib, where four of the 12 observation points it built around the province have been surrounded. After at least 36 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian air strike last week, Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield, directly targeting Syrian government forces with an onslaught from its fleet of armed drones.

On Wednesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that two more Turkish soldiers had been killed and six wounded by fire from Syrian government forces the previous day. The Turkish operation had “neutralized” 3,138 Syrian government soldiers, the ministry said, using a term that means they have been killed, wounded or captured.

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