The implementation of the Turkish-Russian agreement on creation of the demilitarized zone in the province of Idlib is being successfully implemented, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, adding that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) played an active role in this process.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2018) The implementation of the Turkish-Russian agreement on creation of the demilitarized zone in the province of Idlib is being successfully implemented, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, adding that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) played an active role in this process.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart 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 agreement was aimed at prevention of the possible offensive of the Syrian government's troops in the rebel-held province of Idlib.
"The situation [in Idlib] seems to be normalizing. Yesterday, some 50,000-60,000 refugees returned home. Hopefully, that will not change in the future. We are attaching significant importance to the withdrawal of heavy weapons obtained by radical groups in Idlib. Large part of the burden falls on the shoulders of the MIT," Erdogan told the Hurriyet newspaper.
The president pointed out that he had discussed the post-war reconstruction of Syria with Russia and would also focus on this issue during the negotiations with Germany.
Erdogan expressed a hope that the Syrian government's troops would not conduct a military operation in Idlib.
"Now there is no possibility of such an operation. Hopefully, that will not happen. That is a promise given to us by Putin," the Turkish president noted.
Erdogan added that the date of the four-lateral Turkey-Russia-Germany-France summit in Istanbul had not been determined yet.
The Syrian civil war has been raging for over seven years, with government forces fighting numerous terror groups and opposition factions. Russia and Turkey along with Iran are guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire agreement.
