Akar told Sergei Shoigu that "Turkey's priority is to prevent the terrorism threat (from northern Syria) permanently," and said previous agreements on this issue need to be adhered to, the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Senior Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev on Wednesday said Turkey should refrain from a full-scale ground offensive in Syria, because such actions could trigger an escalation of violence.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler)