Russia, Turkey agree on borders of buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib province
Tehran (KNA) - Russia and Turkey have reached a consensus on borders of a demilitarized zone in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, which is the last major stronghold of anti-Damascus militants, in an attempt to avert a possible full-scale offensive by the Syrian government against terrorists in the militant-held region.
"Just yesterday or the day before, the militaries of Russia and Turkey agreed the concrete frontiers of the demilitarized zone," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
His comments came four days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Russia's coastal city of Sochi, and agreed to divide Idlib into a demilitarized zone between militant-held and government-controlled areas.
It is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 members of different factions of armed groups, which Syria, Russia and Turkey consider terrorists, are active in the volatile province, which is home to around three million inhabitants.
Some 60 percent of the province is said to be controlled by members of the so-called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, which is a coalition of different factions of terror outfits, largely composed of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
Moscow believes that a 15-20 kilometer buffer zone would help stop attacks from Idlib-based militants on Syrian army positions and Russia's military bases in the flashpoint region.
Security in the demilitarized area, which includes parts of Idlib and neighboring provinces, including the city of Aleppo, will be overseen by Turkish contingents and Russian military police.
Source: PressTV