Turkey sees no violations of ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib
Turkish defence minister said there had been no violations of the ceasefire in Idlib, as part of an agreement with Russia, while Russia said there have been a few shootings in the region
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday there had been no violations of the ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, as part of an agreement with Russia, while Russia said there have been a few shootings in the region.
“We will continue to be a deterrent force to prevent any violation to the ceasefire. None occurred since ceasefire entered into force,” the Turkish Defence Ministry quoted Akar as saying.
The ceasefire was reached in Moscow on Thursday after talks to contain an escalating conflict.
Nearly a million people have been displaced in a three-month Russian-backed offensive by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s forces in northwest Syria.
Ankara supports rebel fighters, although it has less sway over militants who control large parts of Idlib.
Russian news agencies, citing the defence ministry, said there have been three cases of shooting in Idlib in the past 24 hours.
It also said there were seven cases of shootings in Latakia and nine in Aleppo. The defence ministry also reported that 860 refugees have returned to
Syria from Jordan and Lebanon for the past day.
Akar also said Turkey would use its right to self-defence if there is any attack targeting its forces or bases in the region.
The deal called for joint patrols of Turkish and Russian forces around the M4 road in Idlib region starting on March 15.
Turkey has started to work on the procedures and principles of the safety corridor around the road, Akar said, adding that a Russian military delegation will visit Ankara next week for discussions.
Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria’s nine-year conflict, with Moscow supporting Assad and Turkey backing some rebel groups. Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed.
The head of the UN children’s agency said on Friday she has asked government officials for more access inside Syria, saying it’s critical to bring aid to “the most vulnerable” in the war-torn country, which is experiencing one of the conflict’s worst humanitarian crises yet.
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’S executive director, spoke with The Associated Press following a twoday visit to Syria where she toured areas close to the northwestern province of Idlib, the country’s last remaining rebel stronghold.
A punishing Russian-backed government offensive on the province that began in December displaced nearly a million people and left hundreds of civilians dead.
Fighting stopped at midnight Thursday following a cease-fire agreement reached between Russia and Turkey.
The two countries support rival groups in the conflict and in recent years became the main power brokers in Syria.
There are concerns in Idlib that the cease-fire might not hold for as long as previous truces that collapsed, leading to waves of violence.
“We do hope that this will hold,” said Fore from southern Turkey. “That is the most important thing for the children and for their families. We need to have a cessation of all hostilities and we need it now.”
Many of those families currently in Idlib have been displaced from other parts of Syria as President Bashar Assad’s forces made gains on the ground in recent years with the help of their Russian and Iranian allies.
“These families, some of them have moved three, four, five, six, times. It’s just too much for a family, it’s just too much for a child. There are mental health ramifications for children if you move them that often,” Fore said.
Fore and David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, met Syrian officials including Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem who told them that Damascus is ready to facilitate their work in the country, according to state media.
A financial and economic crisis in Syria and neighbouring Lebanon has also had negative repercussions on Syrians.
A UN statement said the economic crisis is pushing millions of people into hunger and food insecurity, in which they lack reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.
According to the UN, the number of food insecure people increased from 6.5 million to 7.9 million, and food prices spiked by 60% between 2018 and 2019.