ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/. Turkey’s possible military operation in the Syrian province of Idlib would be the worst scenario, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked what Moscow’s reaction would be if Ankara launched an operation in Syria.
"Let us not expect the worst scenario to become a reality," he said.
The Kremlin spokesman added that "if it is an operation against Syria’s legitimate authorities and armed forces, it will definitely be the worst scenario."
Russia will continue contacts with Turkey in order to prevent the situation in Idlib from escalating further, according to Peskov.
"We are determined to continue to use our working contacts with our Turkish counterparts to prevent the situation in Idlib from escalating further," he said.
When asked whether Moscow was satisfied with the latest agreements with Turkey on Syria, Peskov said, "We were satisfied with those agreements, which were reached more than a year ago in Sochi, and that was mutual satisfaction. However, we stopped being satisfied after militants and terrorists groups launched offensive operations against the Syrian armed forces and Russian military facilities from Idlib's territory."
The Kremlin spokesman stressed that "contacts with Turkey would continue at various levels." When asked whether the previous Russian-Turkish agreements on Syria could be revised, he refrained from commenting on the issue.
According to Peskov, there are no specific plans for a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the issue so far, but it can be agreed on within a few hours, if necessary. "As of today, there are no concrete plans to hold a phone call. However, the two presidents maintain close contact, so, if needed, a phone call can be approved literally within hours," he said.