MOSCOW, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed Friday to examine the possibility of meeting in the near future to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib, the Kremlin has said in a statement.
The two leaders had a phone conversation at the initiative of the Turkish side, exchanging their views on the situation in Syria, where dozens of Turkish soldiers have been killed in recent airstrikes.
During the conversation, the leaders also expressed serious concerns over the escalation of tensions in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the statement said.
Both sides emphasized the need for additional measures to normalize the situation in northwestern Syria. They also agreed to step up relevant interagency consultations, and work out the possibility of holding a top-level meeting in the near future, the statement added.
The two sides also emphasized the importance of improving coordination through the ministries of defense of their respective countries.
On Thursday, the Kremlin denied that Putin would meet Erdogan on March 5 to discuss the Syria situation.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said intense battles were still raging on Friday in Idlib between Turkey-backed forces and Russia-backed Syrian government troops, the day after over 30 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Friday that Turkish military members were among the rebel militants.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference that there was still room for dialogue between Moscow and Ankara, adding that Russian and Turkish negotiators in Ankara have agreed to continue their talks.
"I'm convinced if the military, diplomats and representatives of the security services of our countries can concentrate on the basic agreements on the de-escalation zone in Idlib, these agreements can be translated into the language of practical actions," Lavrov said.
