Russia and Turkey are planning a series of consultations regarding Syria’s last rebel stronghold of Idlib, according to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
Moscow hopes both countries can ensure Idlib becomes a real de-escalation zone, free of militants, Lavrov said at a press conference, Xinhua news agency reported.
The de-escalation zone in Idlib is turning into “an escalation zone” as militants there attack targets outside the zone, he said.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to previous agreements on Syria in a telephonic conversation.
Last week, President Erdogan said that Turkey has “no intention to invade or annex the Syrian territory”.
On January 18, Erdogan addressing to the media in Istanbul and said, “It is a clear proof that the Syrian regime does not comply with the steps we have taken regarding the cease-fire” while referring to the latest airstrikes carried out by the Syrian forces in Idlib, the country’s last rebel-stronghold province.
Earlier, the Syrian regime and Iranian-backed groups also launched a ground offensive in Aleppo province, a designated de-escalation zone, forcing at least 13,000 more civilians to move toward Turkey’s border.
The war in Libya, where Turkey was sending troops in support of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, and the conflict in Syria, where Ankara and Moscow are both militarily involved, are also set to dominate the summit as well.
Turkey launched a cross-border assault on Kurdish fighters after the US decided to withdraw troops from Syria, a move that was criticised by the Republicans, with some terming it a “betrayal” of the Kurds.
The Syrian army entered the city of Tabqa in the northern countryside of Raqqa province, as part of its move to enter Kurdish-held areas to counter the ongoing Turkish assault in the region.