Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the phone, a day after a Syrian attack on the Turkish soldiers in Idlib.

Erdogan told Putin that the attack carried out by the Syrian government forces harmed the joint efforts for peace in Syria, the state-run TRT broadcaster said.

The Turkish leader also noted Turkey would continue to use its right of self-defense against similar attacks in the toughest way, reported Xinhua news agency.

The approach by Moscow and Ankara is an echo of their dealings in Syria, where Turkey and Russia, along with Iran, have also set up negotiations that are separate from UN-led efforts to end the fighting.

The Libya agreement underscores the rising clout of Mr Putin in the region as well as his increasingly strong relationship with Mr Erdogan, despite Turkey’s membership of Nato and the two countries’ support for opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

Earlier, Putin launched the TurkStream gas pipeline, a project which will deliver Russian gas to Turkey and Europe.

The war in Libya, where Turkey is sending troops in support of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, and the conflict in Syria, where Ankara and Moscow are both militarily involved, are also set to dominate the summit as well.

Last year, in October, Putin spoke to his Turkish counterpart Erdogan over the phone and invited the Turkish leader to visit Russia soon “for a working visit in the coming days”.

Turkey launched a cross-border assault on Kurdish fighters after the US decided to withdraw troops from Syria, a move that was criticised by the Republicans, with some terming it a “betrayal” of the Kurds.

The Syrian army entered the city of Tabqa in the northern countryside of Raqqa province, as part of its move to enter Kurdish-held areas to counter the ongoing Turkish assault in the region.

More than 50 people, including civilians, have been killed last week as the Turkish offensive in Syria, which was launched by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed at pushing the Kurdish forces away from its border.