Military action came to a halt in Idlib following Turkey and Russia’s announcement on Thursday they had reached a ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire was set to come into effect just after midnight on Thursday and there no immediate reports that it had been breached.
The deal was reached after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met for several hours in Moscow on Thursday.
Putin, standing next Erdogan, speaking after the talks said he hoped their agreement would lead to a halt of military action in Syria’s last major rebel stronghold in the northwest of the country.
“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,” Putin said.
Erdogan said: “We will work together to supply aid for the Syrians in need.”
He also said Turkey retained the right “to respond to all (Syrian) regime attacks in the field.”
#Turkey and #Russia agree to stop all hostilities along the existing line of contact in #Syria starting midnight, March 6 – Lavrov#IdlibMeetingMoscow pic.twitter.com/0O6mtxn40o
— RT (@RT_com) March 5, 2020
Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria’s nine-year conflict, with Moscow supporting President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backing some rebel groups. Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed.
The latest offensive in Idlib by Assad’s forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, sparked what the United Nations says may be the worst humanitarian crisis yet in a war that has driven millions from their homes and killed hundreds of thousands.
The Russian military has, however, repeatedly played down any talk of a refugee crisis and accused Turkey of violating international law by pouring enough troops into Idlib to make up a mechanized division.
Turkey, which has the second-largest army in the transatlantic NATO alliance, has funneled troops and equipment into the region in recent weeks to resist the Syrian government advance and prevent a wave of refugees over its southern border.
Moscow was critical of Turkey’s “Operation Spring Shield”, and accused Ankara of shielding Al-Qaeda affiliated forces in the region.
Russia also raced to reinforce its troops in Syria by sea and air before the Putin-Erdogan talks.
Assad has vowed to recapture “every inch” of Syrian territory, but his depleted military depends heavily on Moscow’s power and Iranian-backed militias on the ground. Iran was not a party to Thursday’s deal.
Apart from Idlib, a large stretch of northern Syria remains outside Assad’s control, held by Turkey and its rebel partners, and by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
The Kremlin said the two leaders had spoken for three hours on their own before being joined by their officials.
They agreed to establish a secure corridor near the M4 highway, which runs east to west through Idlib and hold joint patrols along the road from March 15.
In a joint statement, they said the corridor would stretch 6 km to the north and 6 km to the south of the M4 – effectively advancing Russia’s presence further north into Idlib.
The Russian and Turkish defense ministers would agree on the parameters of the corridor within seven days.
The deal did not spell out – as Erdogan has repeatedly demanded – that Syrian forces withdraw to the edge of the Idlib “de-escalation zone”, around which Turkey has stationed a dozen military observation posts, most of them now surrounded by Russian-backed Syrian government forces.
The fighting, which raised the prospect of a direct clash between Russia and Turkey, has killed around 60 Turkish troops in the region since last month. Two hours after the joint announcement Turkey’s defense ministry said two soldiers were killed after Syrian government forces opened fire in Idlib.
Putin expressed his regret to Erdogan about the recent killing of 34 Turkish troops in an airstrike, saying the Syrian military had not known of their location.
Ahead of the talks, at least 16 civilians were killed when Russian airstrikes hit a gathering of displaced people near the town of Maarat Misrin in Idlib, according to civil defense workers helping clear the rubble and search for survivors.
Russia denies targeting civilians.
The post Idlib ceasefire begins after Putin and Erdogan deal appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2020/03/06/idlib-ceasefire-begins-after-putin-and-erdogan-deal/
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder