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Erdogan, Putin endure marriage of convenience

The Turkish and Russian leaders may be unhappy partners, but it is clear that they are committed to each other in Syria's Idlib.
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Following his controversial visit to Ukraine, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached out to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Feb. 4 to sort out differences on Syria and show that their partnership and cooperation endures.

For those aware of the nature and structure of the Turkish-Russian relationship, the move was predictable. Whatever the conflicting interests and visions of the two main players in Eurasian geopolitics, Erdogan cannot afford to alienate and confront Putin at this juncture.

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