Russia chides Turkey over Idlib — again

Russia's foreign minister has demanded Turkey end tensions in Syria's Idlib, indicating Russia will continue to use Idlib as a pressure point to keep Ankara in line.
This picture taken on August 16, 2019 shows a smoke plume rising following a reported air strike in Kfar Ruma in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. - Air strikes on August 16 by Syria's regime and its Russian ally killed 15 civilians in the area controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib province, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strikes came as regime forces battled HTS jihadists and allied rebels in the region, where fierce fighting
This picture taken on Aug. 16, 2019 shows a smoke plume rising following a reported air strike in Kfar Ruma in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Air strikes on Aug. 16 by Syria's regime and its Russian ally killed 15 civilians in the area controlled by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Idlib province, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. - ABDULLAH HAMMAM/AFP via Getty Images
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Amberin Zaman
@amberinzaman

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Turkey to fulfill its responsibilities to end tensions in the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib today, saying Ankara needed to distinguish between Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and Syrian rebels. Lavrov’s comments, made during an official visit to Armenia, were seen as a fresh rebuke to Turkey over its reluctance to confront the militant opposition group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which remains entrenched in Idlib and is led by former members of the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone Sunday to discuss developments in Syria ahead of the Turkish leader’s Nov. 13 meeting in Washington with President Donald Trump.

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