Will Idlib's pocket be the tomb of the tumultuous Russian-Turkish relationship? Since the start of the Russian-backed Syrian regime's offensive against the last bastion of rebel and jihadist groups, confrontation seemed inevitable. The strikes in which at least thirty-three Turkish soldiers lost their lives on Thursday are a new turning point in the deterioration of the Russian-Turkish link on the Syrian issue. It was confirmed by the dispatch of two Russian frigates to the Mediterranean.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have never been natural. The Ottoman and Tsarist empires fought many wars for the domination of the Middle East, for control of the Balkans and for access to the warm seas. Ankara and Moscow are in competition in the Balkans, in Crimea, in Libya but especially in Syria, where they support opposite camps. In 2015, the two countries came close to war when a Russian bomber was shot down by Turkish aviation in Syrian space.
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