German FM Heiko Maas
Germany has welcomed on Tuesday an agreement between Turkey and Russia to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib province, the last major stronghold of the opposition groups.
"We welcome all steps towards avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe," Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter, referring to the Turkey-Russia agreement.
He called for concrete steps towards implementing the agreement.
"The agreement in Sochi now needs to be implemented. This had not been possible for other agreements in Syria in the past years," he added.
Maas met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week in Berlin and urged Moscow to avoid a large-scale military offensive in Idlib, which he said could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe and new refugee influx.
An agreement between Russia and Turkey over the northwestern province of Idlib has "practically excluded" a Syrian government offensive in the region, the spokesman for the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission told Reuters on Tuesday.The "scenario of attack is practically excluded, at least for a period of time that is not small, and we hope that it will be permanent," Yahya al-Aridi told Reuters by telephone. Aridi said the deal announced on Monday had safeguarded the lives of millions of Syrians and was an indication that the "path of peace" must now be opened.'Turkey-Russia deal on Idlib ends Assad dream to regain control over Syria'Erdoğan's aide hails Ankara-Moscow deal on Idlib
Syrian opposition says Turkish-Russian deal excludes Idlib attack
A deal brokered between Turkey and Russia over Syria's northwestern Idlib region puts an end to President Bashar al-Assad's dream of regaining full control over the country, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander said on Tuesday.The buffer zone agreed to in Idlib will save civilian lives and protect the area from Syrian army bombing and create a "geographic area" under the control of the FSA that is capable of pushing for a post-Assad political transition in Syria."The Idlib deal preserves lives of civilians and their direct targeting by the regime. It buries Assad's dreams of imposing his full control over Syria," prominent FSA commander Mustafa Sejari said.Erdoğan's aide hails Ankara-Moscow deal on IdlibTurkey, Russia agree on 'weapons-free zone' in IdlibThe deal has "practically excluded" a Syrian government offensive in the region, the spokesman for the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission told Reuters.The "scenario of attack is practically excluded, at least for a period of time that is not small, and we hope that it will be permanent," Yahya al-Aridi. Aridi said the deal announced on Monday had safeguarded the lives of millions of Syrians and was an indication that the "path of peace" must now be opened.Turkey and Russia on Monday agreed to turn Idlib into a demilitarized zone after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's coastal city of Sochi.Ankara and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the stabilization of the situation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are prohibited."We have agreed on the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the opposition- and [Assad] regime-controlled areas," Erdoğan said in a news conference with Putin in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, following a meeting between the two leaders.Iran welcomes Turkey-Russia deal over IdlibPutin said the demilitarized zone will extend between 15 to 20 kilometers (9-12 miles) deep into Idlib by Oct. 15. He added that the establishment of the zone would be accompanied by the withdrawal of armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front.Putin said all heavy weapons had to be withdrawn from the zone by Oct. 10, according to Erdoğan’s proposal. This includes tanks, rocket launchers, guns and mortars of all opposition groups.Erdoğan said Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols along the zone's perimeter, and the two countries will restore transit routes between Syria's Aleppo, Latakia, Hama by the end of 2018.
'Turkey-Russia deal on Idlib ends Assad dream to regain control over Syria'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Monday, following their talks in Sochi, to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib province.
Putin said the demilitarized zone will extend between 15 to 20 kilometers (9-12 miles) deep into Idlib by Oct. 15.
Turkish and Russian armed forces will conduct joint patrols along the zone's perimeter, according to the agreement.
Located near the Turkish border, Idlib province is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a "diplomatic attempt" to prevent a major humanitarian crisis in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın said on Monday.Kalin's remarks came after Turkey and Russia on Monday agreed to turn Idlib into a demilitarized zone after a meeting between Erdogan and his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's coastal city of Sochi.Ankara and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the stabilization of the situation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are prohibited."According to the agreement: The opposition will remain in areas in which they are already present. Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols. Russia will take measures to prevent attack on Idlib," Kalin said on Twitter.US welcomes efforts to reduce violence in SyriaIran welcomes Turkey-Russia deal over Idlib
Erdoğan's aide hails Ankara-Moscow deal on Idlib
The United States welcomes any "sincere effort" to reduce violence in Syria, a State Department official said Monday."We are encouraged that Turkey and Russia appear to have taken steps to avert a military offensive by the Assad regime and its allies in Idlib and welcome any sincere effort to reduce the violence in Syria. We hope de-escalation is made permanent," the official told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.The official added that the U.S. was not involved in the negotiations between the Turkish and Russian governments in the Russian city of Sochi over the future of Syria’s northwestern Idlib province."As we have noted before, an offensive by the Assad regime and its allies against the densely populated Idlib province would be a reckless escalation and would have serious consequences for Syria and the surrounding region," the official added.The official said Washington remains "concerned by the Assad regime’s pattern of destabilizing actions in Idlib and elsewhere”, noting that the U.S. will continue to watch the situation and the regime's actions closely."We reiterate something that both President [Donald] Trump and President [Vladimir] Putin agreed to in Da Nang, Vietnam: There is no military solution to this conflict," the official said, adding that all parties should "redirect their energies to forging a durable political resolution in Syria"."As the United Nations Security Council has long emphasized, ending the conflict will require a political solution based on UNSCR 2254 and the Geneva process," the official said."The United States supports any credible efforts that prevent a resurgence of violence and protects civilians. Civilians must be allowed freedom of movement, including the right to return home, and provided access to immediate humanitarian assistance and medical care," the official added.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson also affirmed U.S. support for the “de-escalation of violence in Syria, unhindered humanitarian access, an enduring defeat of ISIS and other terrorists and progress toward a credible political resolution”. He was referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, another name for Daesh.“We continue to support the UN-led Geneva peace process to resolve the hostilities in Syria under the auspices of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254," he added.
US welcomes efforts to reduce violence in Syria
The Syrian regime had announced plans last month to launch a major military offensive to the area, long controlled by various armed opposition groups.
The UN warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".