Russia has once again poured cold water on Turkey’s expectations for a resolution of the Syrian crisis that does not include President Bashar al-Assad and that sees the Syrian opposition emerging victorious with outside support. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov openly spelled out Moscow’s position this week in Turkey, using language indicating that the two sides remain at serious loggerheads over this crisis.

Arriving in Istanbul on Tuesday, April 16, for a meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group involving the two countries, Lavrov did not mince words after official talks with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. During their joint press conference, Lavrov said all the key players that had signed the Geneva Agreement had agreed on the need for a dialogue in Syria between the government and the opposition.

The June 2012 Geneva Agreement, which was produced with the participation of foreign ministers from the permanent members of the UN Security Council and several other countries, proposed a transitional government in Damascus comprised of officials from the regime and the opposition. Loathe as it may be to seeing Assad or remnants of his regime in any talks on the new Syria, Ankara nevertheless reluctantly accepted the agreement for political reasons.

Today, however, the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to work overtly and covertly to topple the Assad regime. It is also a strong supporter and sponsor of the Friends of Syria group, which aims to topple Assad as well. The group includes the United States and various European and Arab countries and is opposed by Moscow, as might be expected. It held its last major meeting in Rome in February, albeit with no game-changing results to speak of.