Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned on Friday the Syrian regime against launching an offensive to recapture the opposition-held Idlib region, saying it would cause a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Speaking after talks with this Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, he said that Moscow and Ankara will work to separate civilians from radical groups in the northwestern province. “A military solution here would be a disaster, not just for the Idlib region, but a disaster in terms of Syria’s future,” he added from Moscow. The two ministers met in Ankara ten days ago and Cavusoglu then gave a similar message, saying it would be a “massacre” to bomb Idlib, even though there are extremists there. “Where will some 3.5 million civilians go to?” Cavusoglu said on Friday. “It is important for all of us to neutralize these extremist groups,” he said. “But we have to distinguish the civilians from the radicals.” Lavrov acknowledged that the situation in Idlib is "complex". He said Cavusoglu will stay on in Moscow to join a meeting later on Friday with top Russian and Turkish defense and intelligence officials to discuss the situation in Idlib. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold talks with Cavusoglu later on Friday. Taking Idlib by force would be a difficult challenge for regime forces. As talk of a new regime offensive swirled earlier this week, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Abu Mohammed al-Golani vowed to fight on there. He said that regime-sponsored ceasefires that were reached in other areas will not take place in Idlib. Idlib is a refuge for civilians and opposition factions displaced from other areas of Syria, as well as for extremist groups. It has been hit by a wave of air strikes and shelling this month in a possible prelude to a full-scale regime offensive. Turkey has backed some opposition factions in the region and set up a dozen military observation posts.