Turkey calls on Russia to halt attacks on Syria’s Idlib

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday called on Russia to fulfil its pledges to a ceasefire in Syria’s north-western city of Idlib.

Speaking on the sidelines of the fiftieth annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Cavusoglu warned that the situation in Idlib was “dangerous”, noting that the Syrian regime was “randomly targeting civilians”.

The Turkish official said Russia was “obliged to commit to the ceasefire”. “As the guarantor of the [Syrian] regime, Russia is obliged to stop this aggression,” he stressed.

Syrian forces – led by President Bashar Al-Assad – has been carrying out an offensive on Idlib – the last opposition stronghold in the war-torn country and parts of nearby Aleppo province. The fighting was reported to have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom fled to areas closer to the border with Turkey.

The attacks came following a cessation of hostilities agreement that was reached between Russia and Turkey in September 2018. The agreement aims to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Since the agreement, more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces as the ceasefire continued to be violated. More than one million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the last year.

READ: Turkey’s Cavusoglu warns of influx of Syria refugees