Turkey wants the Syrian regime’s compliance with a cease-fire in northwestern Idlib province, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

Axar.az reports that, “We do not aim for a face-off with Russia. This is out of question. We have done everything in our power to prevent this from happening, and we will continue to do so. The most important thing now is for the regime to comply with the cease-fire,” Akar said Thursday night.

He said Turkey has continued its relations with all parties in a "transparent and principled" way.

Referring to a possible Idlib operation by Turkey, Akar said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "gave orders and set targets" on the issue.

"We have done the necessary planning. We have our A, B and C plan to put into action when necessary.”

He stressed that Turkey’s stance on the Idlib issue "has not changed" and it has been fulfilling its responsibilities on the matter, adding Turkey expects its counterparts to do the same.