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.
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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.
Published On 9 Mar 2020