Merkel, Erdogan Call For New Ceasefire In Syria's Idlib - Berlin

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared during a telephone conversation on Friday the need for a new ceasefire in the Syrian province of Idlib and the start of political negotiations, the German cabinet said in a statement on Friday.

"The president and the chancellor discussed the current situation and events in Idlib, including from the point of view of refugees. The chancellor condemned the ruthless attacks on Turkish troops and demanded the end of the offensive operation by the Syrian regime and its allies. Both agreed that it was urgent to agree on a new ceasefire and begin the necessary political negotiations as soon as possible," the statement read.

Merkel also assured Erdogan of the solidarity of the German government in providing humanitarian aid to the displaced people in Idlib and offered her condolences to Erdogan over the deaths of Turkish troops.

The situation in Idlib escalated on Thursday after terrorists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia) launched a large-scale attack on the positions of the Syrian government forces. The Syrian army opened return fire. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Turkish military, who should not have been there, also came under fire.

As a result, 33 soldiers of the Turkish army were killed, and more than 30 were injured. Immediately after receiving information concerning the presence of the Turkish military, the Russian side took measures to establish a complete ceasefire by the Syrian troops to ensure that the bodies of the killed Turkish servicemen were safely evacuated to their homeland. The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that the Russian Aerospace Forces had not been used in the area.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ankara had failed to comply with commitments outlined in a Russian-Turkish memorandum signed in 2018, and is not distinguishing between Syria's armed opposition, which is open for dialogue, and terrorist groups in the region. Ankara has insisted that it implements its commitments.