The situation in Syria will focus the meeting between Erdogan and Putin in Sochi

This content was published on September 28, 2021 – 1:10 PM

28 September 2021 – 13:10

Ankara, Sep 28 (EFE) .- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet tomorrow in Sochi with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to discuss the situation in Syria, especially around the city of Idlib, where both countries have had positions increasingly found in recent weeks.

Both Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that Syria would be the main topic at the meeting of the two leaders.

Moscow and Ankara signed the Astana Accords in 2017, which provided for four detente zones in Syria, including Idlib, in the northwest, under the rule of Islamist militias and where Turkey has deployed troops and maintains observation posts.

Russia and Turkey, which support opposing sides in Syria, reaffirmed the agreement last year, but for two weeks Russian planes have again bombed areas of Idlib under Turkish control.

Russia supports the Damascus regime while Turkey supports rebel militias.

The Defense Minister reiterated on Tuesday Turkish complaints that Russia does not comply with the agreements between the two capitals and stressed that the Syrian regime and Russian aviation have increased their bombings in recent weeks.

Akar explained that Russia justified those attacks because they were carried out against terrorist groups, but, according to Ankara, there were no terrorists in the bombed places.

The Turkish Defense Minister assured that the only thing they promote is the radicalization of the population and greater emigration to Turkey, something that Ankara cannot accept.

“Turkey no longer tolerates additional immigration. These attacks also radicalize the people there. The continuation of the ceasefire and stability are important. People returned to their lands in northern Syria voluntarily and safely at the areas under the control of the Turkish Armed Forces, “Akar explained.

The defense minister assured that Turkey has fulfilled its part of the agreement and hopes that “the other party will assume its responsibilities.”

Erdogan and Putin plan to address other regional, bilateral and trade issues, but the differences over Idlib will be the most difficult issue on the agenda.

Turkey blames Russia for not meeting its commitments in the agreement, while Russia accuses Ankara of breaching previous agreements that included disarming jihadist militias in the region.

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