Turkey to seek political solution in Moscow meeting

ANKARA

Turkey aims to reach a peaceful political solution in Idlib, northwestern Syria, at a meeting with Russia on Thursday, said the Turkish defense minister on Wednesday.

"Turkey's military activities in Syria continue as planned, and our soldiers are fulfilling their duties with heroism," Hulusi Akar told reporters in parliament about the country's operations in the region.

Existing agreements between Ankara and Russia had faced problems in their implementation, he said and added that Turkey would express its "opinions, suggestions and demands," at the high-level meeting in Moscow.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss recent developments in Idlib with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the meeting on Thursday.

Nearly 4 million civilians have been trapped in the last opposition stronghold of Idlib due to the recent military offensive by the Assad regime, with the support of Russia and Iranian-backed forces in the region.

Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield on Sunday after 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib. They were stationed there as part of the 2018 Sochi deal with Russia to protect the civilian population and counter-terrorist groups.

In 2018, Turkey and Russia had agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression were expressly prohibited.

But the regime and its allies, including the Iranian-backed forces, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory.

More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in the Idlib de-escalation zone in such attacks, sending 1.7 million refugees towards Turkey's border with Syria.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin