Russia and Turkey agree on Idlib ceasefire
Russia and Turkey have agreed on a military ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib province.
Turkey and Russia have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib province after a meeting in Moscow last week, but Turkey says it reserves the right to retaliate if Syrian government forces carry out further attacks.
The halt in fighting in the last rebel-held province intends to put an end to a humanitarian crisis that has caused millions of Syrians to flee towards the border with Turkey.
Turkey’s defence minister has said there have so far been no violations of the ceasefire deal but residents remain pessimistic about the truce.
NATO-member Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in Syria’s nine-year-old war. Moscow supports President Bashar al-Assad and Ankara backs some opposition groups.
The deal reached in Moscow also established a security corridor on each side of Idlib’s key east-west M4 highway. The corridor stretches 6km (3.7 miles] to the north and 6km to the south of the highway.