Erdogan Calls on Russia to Step aside in Idlib as Turkey Destroys Regime Chemical Facility

Arab World

February 29th, 10:13am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters fire heavy artillery guns at regime forces near the town Taftanaz, Idlib province on Friday. (Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian regime forces alone. Speaking in Istanbul, he said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey "to do what is necessary" with the regime. He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now. "We did not go there because we were invited by (Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad). We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We don't intend to leave before the people of Syria, 'okay, this is done," Erdogan added. He made his remarks after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russian-backed regime forces in the Idlib region on Thursday, the biggest Turkish military loss on the battlefield in recent years. The latest incident has raised further tensions between Ankara and Moscow, whose relationship has been tested by violations of a 2018 deal to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. As part of the agreement, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the province but Assad's regime forces -- backed by Russian air power -- have pressed on with a relentless campaign to take back the region. Russia and Turkey have agreed to reduce tensions on the ground in Idlib while continuing military action there, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday following several days of talks in Ankara. "Concrete steps to achieve lasting stability in the Idlib de-escalation zone were considered," the ministry said. "Both sides confirmed their goal to reduce tensions 'on the ground' while continuing the fight against terrorists." On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with Putin in a bid to scale down the tensions. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. After the death of its soldiers in a regime airstrike on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe. Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday that 18,000 migrants has crossed the border, without immediately providing evidence, adding that the number could rise to 25,000-30,000 on Saturday. "We will not close these doors in the coming period and this will continue. Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don't have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them," he said. On the ground, a Turkish official said Saturday that Turkey destroyed a chemical warfare facility after dozens of its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in the last-opposition enclave of Idlib province. The Turkish army destroyed overnight "a chemical warfare facility, located some 13 kilometers south of Aleppo, along with a large number of other regime targets," the senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity, said Reuters. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources inside the war-torn country, said that Turkey instead hit a military airport in eastern Aleppo, where the monitoring group says there are no chemical weapons. Despite being on opposite ends, Turkey, which backs several opposition groups in Syria, and key regime ally Russia are trying to find a political solution to the Syria conflict.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2155626/erdogan-calls-russia-step-aside-idlib-turkey-destroys-regime-chemical-facility