Russia's ambassador to Turkey faces threats over Idlib crisis

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Aleksei Erkhov said that he has been threatened over escalation in Syria's province of Idlib.

He stressed that the escalation in Idlib has triggered anti-Russian sentiment on Turkish social media. The ambassador pointed out that blog posts were full of the kind of anger and hatred that discourages people to think logically and understand their Russian partner's actions, increasing the danger.  

The envoy noted that all this happened five years ago, only it was in Aleppo instead of Idlib. "How did it end? [With an] 'Aircraft crisis' and the outrageous murder of Ambassador Andrey Karlov. I also have already been directly threatened," Erkhov said.

"There is absolute reluctance to understand the partner, logic of their actions, to listen to their words and take for granted their right to own a point of view, different from your vision, of what is happening. That kind of attitude can turn into big trouble," Sputnik cited the diplomat as saying.

Tensions in Idlib, one of four de-escalation zones in Syria, intensified last week after the Turkish Defence Ministry said eight Turkish military personnel and a civilian died in shelling by Syrian troops on Turkey's observation post in the province. As a result, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to take retaliatory measures if Syria's armed forces failed to stop their operation in the zone and withdraw from areas close to Turkish observation posts by the end of February. In addition, Erdogan said he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pressure the Syrian government into stopping its Idlib offensive.