Russian, Turkish FMs to Discuss Erdogan’s Controversial Statement on Assad

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu will discuss Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement on Syrian President Bashar Assad at the meeting in Alanya, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Erdogan said Tuesday the Turkish military operation in Syria was designed to put an end to the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom Russia has been supporting in the fight against terrorism.

"The ministers will meet and discuss all this," Bogdanov said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russian authorities were surprised by Erdogan's statements, adding that they are "very serious," and contradicting previous statements.

Russian foreign minister is set to visit Turkey on December 1.