Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo: VNA )

During their phone conversation on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed grave concerns over the escalation of tensions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. They agreed to step up relevant interagency consultations, and work out the possibility of holding a top-level meeting in the near future.

Meeting with National Security Council officials to discuss the Syrian issue the same day, President Putin said he hopes Turkey would do its best to protect Russian citizens and diplomatic facilities in Turkey, amid growing tensions over the Syrian crisis.