Turkish, Russian defence ministers discuss Idlib

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R), Russian President Vladimir Putin [Arif Hüdaverdi Yaman/Anadolu Agency]

Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar discussed regional security issues with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu in a phone call on Wednesday, says Anadolu Agency.

The latest developments in Syria’s northeastern province of Idlib were discussed in the context of the Sochi agreement, according to a statement released by the Turkish Defence Ministry.

Following a meeting on September 17, 2018 in the Russian city of Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone – in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited – in Syria’s Idlib province.

READ: Syrian regime attacks Idlib in violation of Sochi deal

Attacks against 4 hospitals in Idlib, have left more than 40,000 people without healthcare in a conflict zone – Cartoon [Sarwar Ahmed/MiddleEastMonitor]

According to the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing a resumption of fighting.

On October 10, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced that the Syrian opposition and other anti-regime groups had completed the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

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