By Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA (Reuters) – The presidents of Russia and Turkey will maintain talks on Wednesday on curbing renewed violence in northwest Syria and presumably increasing Moscow’s gross sales of army defence methods to Ankara, Turkish officers mentioned.

Vladimir Putin is internet hosting Tayyip Erdogan at Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, the place the Turkish chief will press for a return to a ceasefire they agreed final 12 months to finish a Russian and Syrian military assault on Turkey-backed fighters in Syria’s Idlib area.

The ceasefire has prevented one other main army escalation, however insurgent fighters say Russia has stepped up air strikes round Idlib during the last week.

“We’re abiding by the rules of the settlement reached with Russia,” Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar advised reporters. “We count on the opposite facet to additionally abide by their obligations below the settlement.”

Russia’s defence ministry mentioned that work to implement an earlier Russo-Turkish deal on Syria was persevering with, together with joint patrols involving Russian army police. It mentioned there had been heavy shelling by Islamist fighters within the Idlib space.

Moscow says Russian forces are in Syria on the official invitation of President Bashar al-Assad and that the presence of different forces is hindering his efforts to reunite and rebuild the war-shattered nation.

Turkey has 1000’s of troops in northern Syria and helps insurgents against Assad, who with Moscow’s assist has pushed them again to a small pocket of territory on the Turkish border.

In March final 12 months Turkish land and air forces stemmed a Russian and Syrian military assault which displaced 1 million folks, introduced Ankara and Moscow near direct confrontation, and threatened one other wave of migration into Turkey, which is already internet hosting 3.6 million Syrian refugees.

Three Turkish officers mentioned Syria can be the primary focus of the Sochi assembly. Erdogan has mentioned a few of the talks with Putin shall be one-on-one, with out accompanying delegations.

“It means probably the most essential points shall be mentioned in probably the most open manner,” mentioned a Turkish official, asking to not be recognized. “Particularly in gentle of the developments in Syria, some essential choices might have to be taken.”

MISSILE DEFENCE

The Kremlin mentioned the 2 leaders would talk about Syria and Afghanistan, in addition to financial ties and regional issues.

Turkey and Russia have cast shut cooperation within the fields of vitality, tourism and defence regardless of the rivalry in Syria – in addition to conflicts in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, the place the 2 regional powers have additionally been on opposing sides.

NATO member Turkey purchased Russian S-400 missile defence batteries in 2019, triggering U.S. sanctions towards its defence industries and warnings from Washington of additional motion if it purchased extra Russian gear.

Erdogan final week indicated Turkey nonetheless supposed to acquire a second batch of S-400s, saying no nation might dictate Ankara’s actions.

The officers mentioned the S-400s can be mentioned in Sochi, and one among them contrasted what he described as Washington’s rigid stance with Moscow’s strategy. “With Russia no less than solution-oriented steps will be taken,” the official mentioned.