ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s foreign minister said on Tuesday he hoped his country and Russia could find a solution over the northern Syrian region of Idlib, a rebel-held enclave which the Syrian government says it aims to recapture.
The Idlib region, a refuge for civilians and rebels displaced from other areas of Syria as well as powerful jihadist forces, was hit by a wave of air strikes and shelling last week, in a possible prelude to a full-scale government offensive.
Turkey, which has backed some rebel groups in the region and set up a dozen military observation posts, is trying to avert an attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Moscow.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was important to distinguish between “terrorists”, rebel fighters and up to three million civilians in Idlib.