Turkey has on Sunday reaffirmed that it is unwilling to enter in a military confrontation with Russia, which was a possible scenario due to Turkish military intervention in northeastern Syria.

“Everyone should know that we do not intend to confront Russia, and our our aim is to end the crimes of the regime and prevent extremism and immigration,” Anatolia agency quoted Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar as saying, using typical NATO rhetoric to refer to the Syrian Arab Republic and its president Bashar al-Assad.

Akar added that the so-called Operation Spring Shield would nevertheless continue as planned.

The Syrian province of Idlib has been experiencing violent battles for weeks, after Al-Qaeda gunmen backed by Turkey carried out a series of attacks targeting Syrian army sites, causing violent battles between the two sides.