Erdoğan says he asked Putin to step aside in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 29 that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian regime forces alone.

Syrian regime's forces, backed by Russian air power, have waged a major assault to capture the northwest province of Idlib, the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey.

With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow to ease tensions in tatters, Turkey has come closer than ever to confrontation with Russia on the battlefield.

Speaking in Istanbul, Erdoğan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey "to do what is necessary" with the Syrian government alone.

He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now.

"We did not go there because we were invited by [Syria's Bashar al-Assad]. We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We don't intend to leave before the people of Syria, 'okay, this is done," in his first comments after the deaths of Turkish troops in Idlib.   

After the death of its soldiers in a Syrian government air strike on Feb. 27, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe.

"What did we do yesterday... We opened the doors," Erdoğan said.

"We will not close those doors ...Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises."  

Turkey signed a deal with the EU to stop refugees crossing from its borders after a 2015 migrant crisis.     

The Turkish leader said 18,000 migrants have amassed on the Turkish borders with Europe since on Feb. 28, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Feb. 29.

Turkey, which is already home to around 3.6 million Syrian refugees, fears more people...