On Sunday, senior Russian officials put off their planned visit to Turkey at the last minute as opposing policies in Syria and Libya threaten an alliance between the former Cold War foes.
An expected visit to Turkey by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday has been postponed, with no reason or rescheduled date given.
Meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will take place “at a future date,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said, a day after announcing that the two ministers were set to come for talks.
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow separately said the two sides are “actively working to support a settlement in Libya.”
The cancellation of the visit followed a phone call between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Lavrov. Talks between deputy foreign ministers will continue, according to the Turkish statement.
Turkey and Russia's talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held a phone call on June 10, discussing the situation in Libya and a fragile cease-fire in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, bordering Turkey.
Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the civil wars raging in Syria and Libya. Ankara is providing military and diplomatic support to Libya’s United Nations-recognized administration, while Russia backs rival militia commander Khalifa Haftar. In Syria, the Russian-backed government aims to retake Idlib from Islamist militants, while Turkey has vowed to never let that happen.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will also be in Turkey June 14-15, according to a separate statement. “During the visit, all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed and views on regional and international issues will be exchanged,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
Russia and Turkey agreed a cease-fire in Idlib in early March that halted the Syrian government’s three-month air and ground campaign. Suspected Russian airstrikes hit villages on the edge of Idlib on Tuesday, activists said, following fighting between insurgents and government forces in the region’s south.
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