TASS, August 20. Turkey is in contact with Russia regarding the shelling of the Turkish army convoy in Syria’s Idlib and is willing to hold a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss this issue, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a press conference in Ankara.

"After the attack [on the convoy] we contacted our Russian partners. The Chief of the General Staff called his colleague in Russia, other officials are communicating. If need be, I will personally discuss the situation with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov," the minister said, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "contacts [Russian President Vladimir] Putin if necessary."

Cavusoglu underlined that "a ceasefire needs to be implemented in Idlib" for the sake of the country’s future. "The regime [of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad], doubtful of a possibility for a political solution, began solving the issue militarily. Russian and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire. We are in constant dialogue over the future of Syria and are saying that deterioration in Idlib, hugely significant for the state, will lead to a catastrophe in the country," he said.

The minister also recalled that "the Turkey-Russia-Iran summit on Syria is scheduled for September," which means that "the parties need to urgently address the issue of a political settlement in the country."

On August 19, the Turkish military convoy was attacked in the province of Idlib when heading to the observation post No. 9 to reinforce it. The Turkish Defense Ministry reported that the attack was carried out by the Syrian aviation. Three civilians were killed, while twelve were injured, the Turkish side reports. The agency also pointed out that Russia had been notified about the plans to move military equipment in advance.