Havva Kara Aydin
January 12, 2020•Update: January 13, 2020
ANKARA
The cease-fires reached in Syria's Idlib and Libya are holding up well, Turkey's Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The cease-fires came into effect on Sunday following a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week.
“The cease-fire took effect in both Libya and Idlib on Jan. 12 at 00.01 a.m. local time [2200GMT]. The cease-fire implemented in both regions is an important step toward establishing stability and peace by stopping the attacks, preventing loss of life and migration outflows and contributing to the normalization of life,” it said.
The statement added that Turkey is closely monitoring the situation in the region.
“It is being observed in both regions that the parties have tried to comply with the cease-fire since the announcement and the situation is calm except for one or two cases,” it concluded.
On April 4, renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the UN-recognized government.
According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and more than 5,000 injured.
Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.
In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
But the truce call continued to be violated killing more than 1,300 civilians in attacks by the regime and Russian forces.
Over 1 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the last year.
According to the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, the Idlib province is home to around 3 million civilians, 75% of them women and children.
