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Turkish-Russian 'strategic ties' fail stress test on Syria's Idlib

The recent Tehran summit placed a spotlight on differences between Ankara and Moscow over Syria, leaving the Turkish president rattled.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in Tehran, Iran September 7, 2018. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via REUTERS - RC11E2DD7470

Much of the world focused its attention on the Tehran summit last week between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in the hope that the three “Astana partners” could prevent a bloodbath in Idlib, in northwestern Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu issued promising statements before the Sept. 7 summit, expressing his belief that a crisis would be averted in the last opposition stronghold.

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