Russian and Turkish representatives meet in Ankara to discuss situation in Syrian Idlib
Russian and Turkish delegations held talks in Ankara on the situation in Syria's Idlib, and also discussed joint steps to advance the political process in Syria, reported the NTV TV channel citing the statement of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Three-hour talks of inter-ministerial delegations led by Deputy Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Russia Sedat Onal and Sergey Vershinin with the participation of the Russian President's Special Representative for the Syrian Settlement Alexander Lavrentyev took place in Ankara,” the statement reads.
The delegations included representatives of the foreign ministries of both countries. The participants agreed to continue negotiations next week.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference following his visit to Mexico said that he had maintains contact with Turkey on the situation in Syria. The minister also recalled the existing agreements between Moscow and Ankara, which stipulate the creation of a de-escalation zone in Idlib. Lavrov said that the goal to create a territory where there are no weapons has not yet been achieved.
In the fall of 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with his Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib province. As part of the agreement, the Russian military patrols the perimeter zone, and the Turkish side has established 12 observation posts inside it.