Turkey's Erdogan and Russia's Putin agree on a ceasefire in Syria's Idlib to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation there
A picture taken on March 5, 2020 shows an explosion following Russian air strikes on the village of Al Bara in the southern part of Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin say they have reached agreements that could end fighting in northwestern Syria.Putin also voiced hope that the deal would end civilian suffering and help contain a humanitarian crisis.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk during a meeting in Moscow, Russia March 5, 2020. Turkey dealt a heavy blow to the Assad regime with its own capabilities and demonstrated its commitment to playing a role in Syria's future, he said, and added, "We made clear that no attack on Turkish troops would go unpunished."
"We believe firmly that our NATO partner Turkey has the full right to defend itself against the risk that's being created by what Assad, the Russians and the Iranians are doing inside of Syria," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. The Kremlin said it hoped Putin and Erdogan would be able to agree on a set of joint measures for Idlib when they meet for talks in Moscow on Thursday.
Turkey’s Operation Spring Shield remains a critical issue for the nation, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters after a closed parliamentary session on the situation in Syria.“We talked about what has happened in the field and answered questions. I believe it was useful," he added.Turkey’s Operation Spring Shield in northwest Syria hit 82 Assad regime targets, destroyed nine tanks, two howitzers, six rockets, and two vehicles and killed 299 regime soldiers, Akar said.
One fighter jet, one UAV, six tanks, five howitzer/rocket launchers and two air defence systems belonging to the regime were destroyed, it said. Russian warplanes carried out a number of attacks in Idlib on frontlines and some civilian settlements, including Fua village.'Greek soldiers killed refugees'
The delegation was accompanied by Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to the UN, and James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and also a former US ambassador to Turkey, "amid growing alarm over escalating violence in Syria", according to a media note released by US mission to the UN. The report came hours after Turkey shot down two Syrian regime warplanes in an escalating offensive against the Damascus regime in the country's northwest province of Idlib.Turkey destroyed three air defence systems belonging to the Syrian regime, including one that downed a Turkish armed drone, the Turkish Defence Ministry said. "Two SU-24 regime planes that were attacking our aircraft have been downed," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, a Syrian regime aircraft was also shot down in Syria's Idlib province on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported.'Our goal is to prevent ethnic cleansing and war crimes' Lieutenant General Sinan Yayla informed Akar about day-long activities of armed unmanned aerial vehicles, multiple rocket launchers and manoeuvring elements.Turkey’s president spoke via telephone with his French counterpart about the recent situation in Idlib, northwest Syria, the Turkish Communications Directorate announced early Sunday.
Noting the refugee influx started to put pressure on Turkey’s European borders, Erdogan said he expected from Europe and France to offer concrete solutions and support for displaced people.US, Turkey talk Patriot missile defence Cavusoglu made the comment to reporters on Saturday in the Qatari capital, Doha, after a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Erdogan has threatened to push back Syrian forces if they do not pull back to pre-determined lines by February 29 at midnight. Turkey on Friday held a funeral for a Turkish soldier killed in Thursday's deadly air attack by Bashar al Assad's regime in Idlib, which killed 33 Turkish soldiers and wounded dozens.
Earlier, Turkey's Defence Ministry said its armed forces had taken out 8 tanks, 4 armoured combat vehicles, 5 howitzers and 2 multi-barrel rocket launchers belonging to the regime.He answered by saying: "we are in Syria because we have been invited there by Syrians who are suffering at the hands of the Assad regime, They have invited us and are begging for help. We also there because we want to secure a safe border zone.
"Turkey doesn’t want war but will not hesitate to use force if and when its security is threatened," he said, adding "any provocation or harassment will be retaliated by all means". "We're working on ways to support the Turks. Again, this will not involve military moves by American units," the official told reporters.
Following the State Department official, US top diplomat Mike Pompeo says Washington is engaging with Ankara and reviewing options to assist Turkey after the attack on Turkish troops in Syria. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel sharply condemned the regime's assault in Idlib, urging Damascus and its backers to end their offensive.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Putin in their phone conversation agreed to meet face-to-face soon, Turkey's communications director said. According to Altun, Erdogan also said Turkey expects that the regime will be obliged to comply with the Sochi agreement. "This meeting is a clear sign of solidarity with Turkey, a key alley that suffers terror attacks and takes in the most refugees," he said."We call on Syria and Russia to fully engage in UN-led efforts to find a peaceful solution for the conflict in Syria."Turkey's Defence Minister Akar denied Russia's allegations that Russia was not aware of Turkish soldiers' presence at the time of the attack.
Russia's Defence Ministry was cited by the RIA news agency on Friday saying the Turkish troops had been hit by artillery fire from Syrian forces who were trying to repel an offensive by rebel forces. NATO's ruling council will meet Friday for urgent talks on the Syria crisis after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike blamed on Damascus.
Ankara has called talks under Article 4 a number of times in recent years – twice in 2012, including after one of its jets was shot down by Syrian forces, and once in 2015 after a spate of terrorists attacks in Turkey. The stand-off came at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, where the UN’s deputy humanitarian chief Ursula Mueller said almost 950,000 people have fled an advancing Syrian government offensive since it began on December 1.
“With this opportunity, we call on all international community, especially the parties of the Astana Process, to fulfil their responsibilities in order to stop the crimes of the regime committed against the humanity,” he added.
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