MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. Moscow and Ankara are capable of minimizing the risk of armed confrontation in the Syrian province of Idlib, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We hope that we will be able to minimize the risk as the two countries’ militaries maintain close contacts and dialogue," Peskov said in response to a question about the possibility of an armed confrontation between Russian and Turkish forces in Idlib.

Idlib tensions

The situation in Idlib escalated on February 27, when militants attempted to carry out a large-scale offensive. The Syrian Army conducted a strike on them, which, according to Ankara, killed 36 Turkish troops. After that, the Turkish Air Force carried out airstrikes on Syrian positions. Turkey claimed to have hit more than 200 targets.