ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The Turkish National Security Council discussed on Thursday measures necessary to ensure safety of the Turkish observation posts in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation zone, a statement published after the council's meeting said.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in the Russian resort city of Sochi and signed an agreement on setting up a 9-12 mile demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces by October 15.
"The participants of the meeting have discussed measures aimed at providing security for the Turkish observation posts located in the Idlib zone so that they could continue to safely fulfill their duties in the region," the statement said.
The statement added that Turkey would continue to conduct anti-terrorist operations inside the country and abroad in order to ensure the country's security.
Ankara set up a total of 12 observation posts as part of its engagement in the 2017 Astana agreement, which provided for the creation of the Idlib de-escalation zone. The agreement was also signed by Russia and Iran, who have been acting as guarantors of the ceasefire regime as well.
