A cease-fire in Idlib, Syria will take effect just after midnight Thursday, Turkey’s president said following an hours-long meeting Moscow.
"[In Idlib] the cease-fire will be effective as of 00.01 a.m. [local time] tonight," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference alongside his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan noted the Assad regime is targeting the region's stability with its aggression and was mainly responsible for violating the Idlib agreement reached between Turkey and Russia in 2018 to turn the area into a de-escalation zone.
The Syrian regime’s main purpose is to depopulate Idlib and place Turkey in a difficult situation with migration pressure, he said, adding it was inevitable to create a new status in Idlib, especially after last week’s deadly attack that martyred at least 34 Turkish troops.
"We will realize a cease-fire in Idlib, then take other steps to be decided together rapidly,” Erdogan said, but stressed that Turkey reserved its right to response to any attack by Syrian regime during the process.
He said the spirit of the close cooperation between Ankara and Moscow provided a unique contribution to international efforts to end the dispute in Syria
***
Russia and Turkey have agreed a ceasefire in Idlib in northwestern Syria, coming into force at midnight, APA reports quoting Skynews.
It comes after the county's leaders, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held more than six hours of talks in Moscow aimed at ending hostilities in the country's last rebel stronghold.
Mr Putin has expressed hope that the deal could end civilian suffering and help contain a humanitarian crisis, nine years after the start of Syria's civil war.
He said: "I express hope that these agreements will serve as a good basis for a cessation of military activity in the Idlib de-escalation zone (and) stop the suffering of the peaceful population and the growing humanitarian crisis,"
The agreement involves a ceasefire along the existing battle lines and envisages the establishment of a seven-mile-wide security corridor along the M4 road.
It will be jointly patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops and will begin on 15 March.
Mr Erdogan said: "We will work together to supply aid for the Syrians in need."
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
