Syrians in Idlib perform funerary prayers for Turkish soldiers killed in airstrike | Abdulaziz Ketaz/AFP via Getty Images Russia pledges to reduce tensions following Turkey talks Migrants continue to head toward Turkey’s borders with the EU.

Russia and Turkey are both committed to reducing tensions in Syria’s Idlib province, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday.

As tensions between Turkey and Russia surged this week, EU diplomats said their primary concern was a further escalation of the military conflict in the northern Syrian region, which is held by Ankara-backed rebel groups.

Following three days of talks between Russian and Turkish officials in Ankara, the Russian foreign ministry said Saturday that “both sides confirmed their goal to reduce the tension on the ground,” but that they would continue military action.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the situation over the phone on Friday and agreed to hold a meeting soon, according to state news agency TASS.

However, Erdoğan said Saturday he had asked Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey “to do what is necessary” alone, according to Reuters.

He also reiterated a promise made earlier this week by Turkish officials that the country would no longer stop migrants from entering Europe.

“We will not close these doors ... Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don’t have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them,” he said.

A surge in migrant arrivals remains a concern for many EU countries, in particular frontline states. Groups of asylum seekers on Saturday continued to head toward Turkey’s borders with Greece and Bulgaria.

Erdoğan reportedly claimed 18,000 refugees had gathered on the Turkish borders since Friday, and that number could reach 30,000 by Saturday.

The European Commission said Friday it considered that the bloc’s migration deal with Turkey remained in place. The 2016 deal saw Turkey promise to work to block migrants from crossing into Europe, with the EU pledging €6 billion in aid.

“From our point of view, the EU-Turkey statement ... still stands and we expect Turkey to uphold its commitments stemming from this statement,” a Commission spokesperson said.

Nektaria Stamouli contributed reporting.