Turkey's Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (R) and Turkish intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan leave after a meeting with Russian delegation in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The head of the Turkish armed forces, General Hulusi Akar, was visiting Russia on Tuesday to discuss military cooperation and regional developments with his Russian counterpart, the Turkish military said in a statement.

Russia and Turkey, a NATO member, are backing opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. In recent months they have been normalizing ties that broke down a year ago when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane along its border with Syria.