Moscow, Ankara agree ceasefire in Idlib
Marina Kortunova
Press TV, Moscow
Syria’s war-torn northwestern Idlib province has reportedly witnessed “rare calm” and this came after the implementation of a ceasefire deal which was reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their meeting in Moscow.
Speaking after the meeting, Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of the Astana peace process through which Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran have been mediating peace talks between representatives from the Damascus government and opposition groups.
The truce was one of the three points that Turkey and Russia agreed upon on Thursday. According to the agreement, joint Russian-Turkish patrols will secure a six-kilometer-wide corridor along the M4 highway connecting the two government-held provinces of Latakia and Aleppo.
The deal is aimed at ending an unwarranted flare-up of violence in Idlib which could lead to greater loss of life. Turkey has been backing a number of militant groups in Idlib. It has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into the province in an unprecedented incursion to back the militants against Damascus in a move which has been in violation of pacification efforts.
Russian and Turkish defense ministers are due to discuss and announce specific details of the agreement within a week. Details are expected by March 15 from the defense ministries of both countries. Until now, each side has interpreted the signed agreements in its own way.
And it seems that the discrepancies have already emerged. President Erdogan has said Turkey reserves the right to respond to all sorts of attacks by Damascus on its own.
However, this is not in the text of official agreements. But the main thing is that a cease-fire will be established for a while in Idlib, and that it would be more important for Turkey and Russia to continue joint work than to fight.
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