Russian Officials Head to Turkey to Address Syrian Offensive in Idlib
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A Russian delegation will arrive in Turkey on Saturday for talks aiming to stop the Syrian regime’s "aggression" and halt a humanitarian catastrophe in Syria's northwest Idlib region, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. He repeated Turkey would do whatever is necessary to stop a humanitarian tragedy in Idlib, where on Thursday Russian-led Syrian forces entered the strategic town of Saraqeb in a push to capture the country's last opposition stronghold. On Thursday, the minister said Ankara expects Moscow to immediately put an end to the regime attacks in Idlib. Speaking to reporters in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, Cavusoglu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, if necessary. “Now, we expect a Russian delegation. After the delegation, our President Erdogan and Russian President Putin will meet if there is a need. Our main aim is to stop conflicts,” he said. The minister stressed that Turkey needed to work with Russia to resolve problems in Idlib. On Wednesday, Erdogan urged Damascus to withdraw its troops from Turkey’s military observation posts in Idlib, warning that his country would take matters into its own hands if this was not done by the end of February. Cavusoglu accused the regime of attacking Turkish soldiers in Idlib last Monday. “Who carried out the attack there? It is the regime. Who attacked our soldiers? It’s the regime ... Who harassed our observation posts? It is the regime,” he said. The FM warned that Turkey would retaliate to any attack by the regime on its observation posts or forces. “We conveyed our determination to our Russian counterparts,” he said, adding that Ankara was determined to stem the “humanitarian drama” in Idlib. Meanwhile, regime forces attacked on Thursday the village of Mardikh, where they targeted a Turkish observation post that Ankara set up at the Taftanaz military airport, about 16 km north of Saraqeb. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, the Syrian General Command of the Army and Armed Forces issued a statement saying that a Turkish military convoy, including a number of armored vehicles, had passed from the Oglinar area into Syria and was deployed along the line linking the towns of Binnish, Maarat Misrin and Taftanaz early on Thursday “to protect terrorists and prevent the advancement of the Syrian Army.” Turkish forces had pounded regime forces around Saraqeb to prevent them from entering the strategic city. Meanwhile, the US proposed to offer Turkey assistance and hinted at new sanctions against the regime and its ally Russia to end the attack on Idlib.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2119766/russian-officials-head-turkey-address-syrian-offensive-idlib
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