Turkish Foreign Minister: Russian and Syrian airstrikes on Idlib should not be ignored
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, commenting on the situation in Syria and Idlib, said that it is necessary to ensure the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and one should not turn a blind eye to the airstrikes carried out by Syrian and Russian aircraft, reported Anadolu news agency.
According to him, Idlib is a key region in terms of preventing armed conflicts in Syria. The minister also mentioned that during the Inter-Syrian talks in Astana, the decision was made to create a de-escalation zone in Idlib.
“However, this is not enough. All sides must put forth effort to abide by the agreements. In the territories outside Idlib, Russian observers will be deployed. In certain regions, Russian and Iranian observers will also be deployed, and observers from Turkey will be sent to Idlib itself. In addition, our observers will be in Homs in order to exchange the most up-to-date information and prevent possible mistakes,” said Çavuşoğlu.
Speaking about the airstrikes of the Assad regime and the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Foreign Minister stressed that one should not turn a blind eye to what is happening.
“There is no justification for killing civilians who have nothing to do with terrorism. Observers will do everything possible to prevent air strikes from both sides and the escalation of the situation in any territory,” noted Çavuşoğlu.
Çavuşoğlu stressed that it is necessary to clearly differentiate between the moderate opposition, civilians, and terrorist organizations, which are a threat to everyone.
“It is necessary to aim exclusively at the positions of the terrorists, instead of just bombing everything. Where there are terrorists, there may also be peaceful civilians who have nothing to do with terrorism. You cannot simply bomb an area and kill everyone. If we can establish a ceasefire, we will be able to restart the Geneva process,” said Çavuşoğlu.
According to him, in order to bring about full political settlement of the crisis in Syria, it is necessary to stop armed conflicts.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that conditions have been created in Syria to end the war.