Turkish FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday called on international forces to cooperate in Syria’s Idlib.
“Our offer still stands. Let's stop the civil war in Idlib. Let's work together to eliminate terrorist groups," he said during a joint news conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Bucharest, capital of Romania
Underscoring the necessity of preventing civilian casualties, he further called on Russia, Iran, the U.S., France and the U.K. as well as all other partners and actors in Syria to work together and find peaceful solution.
"I call on everybody to raise their voice and also stand against the aggression of regime in Syria and to find a peaceful solution," he added.
Damascus, backed by Russia and Iran, has been preparing a major assault to recover Idlib and adjacent areas of northwest Syria from the opposition.
About 2.9 million people live in the opposition-held area, which comprises most of Idlib province and adjacent small parts of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces. Around half of them are already displaced from other parts of Syria.
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura will meet senior officials from Turkey, Russia, and Iran to establish a Syrian constitutional committee on Monday. Efforts to establish a constitutional committee, which was agreed during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress on Jan. 30, 2018 in Russian resort city of Sochi, have come to a critical phase.De Mistura will meet on Monday and Tuesday with the guarantor countries of Astana process -- Turkey, Russia, and Iran.On Friday, he will meet with officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.K., and U.S.Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal will represent Turkey during the meetings.Russia mistaken in backing Assad: Ex-Syria PMTalks on Monday will be closed to press, while Tuesday’s meeting will be official and open to media. The final declaration of Syria summit held by the guarantor countries in Russia in July highlighted the establishment of a constitutional committee. On July 5, the Syrian Negotiation Commission submitted a list of 50 candidates to represent the Syrian opposition in the constitutional committee to de Mistura, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Also, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the significance of forming a constitutional committee following a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran last week. Turkey's Syria policy based on 'humanitarian diplomacy'“Representatives of the three guarantor countries will meet again in Geneva with the UN’s Secretary-General’s special envoy on Syria in the coming days," Erdogan said on Friday.“The formation process of a constitutional committee will be discussed, and we can say that the preparations have come to the last stage,” he added.“Establishing and making this committee -- which is on the agenda thanks to the Astana process -- will bring a new dynamism to the political process,” he said.Russian President Vladimir Putin had also said they agreed to help in process of establishing the committee.The meeting held under the UN umbrella to end the seven-year-old civil war in Syria consists of four titles including transition, constitution, elections and fight against terrorism. Turkey welcomes half of the world’s Syrian refugeesTurkey's Syria policy based on 'humanitarian diplomacy'Idlib will not suffer the same fate as Daraa: Syrian opposition commander
UN, Turkey, Iran, Russia to talk on Syrian constitution
Turkey alone hosts half of Syrian refugees abroad, making it the country with the highest number of asylum seekers in the world with 4.5 million currently living there, according to recent data. Of the 4.5 million refugee population in Turkey, 3.5 million are Syrian refugees who fled the raging civil war in their country, which placed a heavy burden on Ankara as it shielded Europe from an even worse migration crisis.During the Tehran summit last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey has reached its capacity in taking in refugees, signaling Ankara’s reluctance to admit more migrants in the event of an influx from Syria’s Idlib region.The president of Turkey, Russia and Iran met to discuss the fate of Idlib as rival factions there prepared for what could be the Syrian conflict’s last great battle.In his remarks in Tehran, Erdoğan said any attack on Idlib would result in a disaster and that millions of civilians there would be moving toward the Turkish border.Video: Airstrikes kill five civilians in Syria’s IdlibThe Syrian regime has recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in the area, which has long been controlled by various armed opposition groups.The UN warned earlier this week that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century."Turkey home to 4.5 million refugeesWhile Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees overall at 4.5 million, neighboring Lebanon is home to the highest percentage of refugees per capita. Coming in second and third place, Pakistan and Lebanon each host 1.6 and 1.1 million refugees, respectively.Assad regime, Russia shell school in Syria’s Idlib, wound four childrenTurkey tells 50,000 FSA fighters to be ready for deployment as tensions rise in IdlibUS hosts 271,000 refugeesMeanwhile, with its population of over 300 million, the U.S. only hosts 271,000 refugees compared to Jordan, Egypt and Sweden which each host 650,000 226,000 and 169,000 people, respectively.Over 30,000 Syrians in camps As thousands of Syrian continue to return to their country following Turkish operations that cleared their towns and cities from terror elements, 40 camps were set up by Turkish NGOs in Syria that currently house 30,000 refugees.In recent days, Turkey has ramped up its preparations to meet the needs of additional refugees as it braces for a possible wave of a mass migration in the case of an attack against Idlib.Footage shows White Helmets rescuers targeted in IdlibTurkey hosts half of Syrian refugeesWith 6.1 million externally displaced Syrians in diaspora, Turkey alone hosts over 3.5 million, more than double the number of refugees than the whole of the EU.Idlib attack to trigger migration wave of 2 million refugeesDue to its proximity to the Turkish border and relative security throughout the civil war, the population of Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has swelled to 4 million after evacuation deals brokered with the regime forced hundreds of thousands of Syrian opposition fighters and their families to leave their hometowns, turning the previously sparsely populated region into a sanctuary for those opposing Assad. Close to a million of Idlib’s population lives in close to 200 camps at ground zero near the Turkish border. A possible attack against Idlib would trigger a wave of mass migration towards Turkey’s Hatay, which is a major source of concern for Turkey. In addition to risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib, an offensive will trigger a migration wave of 2 million refugees bound for Turkey and Europe, which could see terrorist elements attempting to cross the borders among those seeking asylum, possibly compounding security concerns across the continent.Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.
Turkey welcomes half of the world’s Syrian refugees
As the Assad regime and Russian warplanes viciously attack the last opposition-held stronghold of Syria’s Idlib, Turkey ramped up its military reinforcements in northern Syria and instructed over 50,000 Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters stationed in Afrin, Azaz, Jarabulus, al-Bab and al-Rai to “be ready for military deployment.”The number of Turkish soldiers dispatched to northern Syria exceeded 30,000 in the areas within the scope of the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations and Idlib. The Turkish army also doubled its armored vehicles and tanks deployed at the Syrian border and dispatched missile platforms, artillery batteries at strategic points.Turkish forces are present at 12 points from Idlib's north to south, which are currently being fortified with cement walls and bulletproof watch towers against a regime attack.The Syrian regime has recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in the area, which has long been controlled by various armed opposition groups.The UN warned earlier this week that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century."Video: Turkey deploys military vehicles to SyriaFifty thousand opposition fighters ready for a major battle Turkey also requested that the Free Syrian army report and list their number of troops, weapons and ammunition. The FSA currently has 30,000 troops under the banner of the “Syrian National Army” in the areas within the scope of the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations and will transfer 20,000 of them to Idlib. The National Front for Liberation, which was formed in May in northwestern Idlib and includes eleven opposition groups, has also a total of 30,000 fighters. The formation includes the following groups: Sham Legion, Jaysh al-Nasr, Free Idlib Army, 1st Costal Division, 2nd Costal Division, 1st Division, 2nd Army, Army of Elites, Shuhada al-Islam Darayya, al-Hurriyat Brigade, and 23rd Division.These groups have been operating in Idlib and the northern part of Hama under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.Turkish minister warns of mass migration from IdlibArab media highlights Erdoğan’s efforts for IdlibRussia and Assad regime target civiliansRussia and Assad regime have escalated their attacks on Syria’s Idlib and shelled 58 separated points in the last two days alone.At least 29 people, the majority of whom are civilians, were killed in land and air strikes in the towns of Idlib’s Jisr al-Shughur, Sahel Al-Gab and Morek.Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.Erdoğan says Idlib assault would be ‘a grave massacre’“We won’t watch from the sidelines”“An attack on Syria's Idlib, the last opposition-held stronghold, would be a grave massacre,” Turkish President Erdoğan said ahead of the Tehran summit that was held as a part of the Astana process, which aims to find a lasting solution to the turmoil in Syria.Stressing the vicious attacks of the Assad regime and Russia, Erdoğan also underlined that “Turkey won’t watch the killings of tens of thousands of innocent people from the sidelines.”The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey gathered in Iran's capital Tehran on Friday to discuss the fate of the opposition-held province of Idlib.
Turkey tells 50,000 FSA fighters to be ready for deployment as tensions rise in Idlib
The Arab media has highlighted the remarks of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about avoiding a "potential catastrophe" in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province in its coverage of the outcome of the tripartite summit.The Bashar al-Assad regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.On Friday, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey met in Tehran to discuss the situation and planned an offensive in Idlib by the Assad regime."The Syrian conflict will end only through a political process," the Qatari daily Al-Sharq reported Saturday.European media covers Turkey's call for truce in IdlibTurkey's Syria policy based on 'humanitarian diplomacy'"Erdogan calls for resolving the issue of Idlib without catastrophe," the newspaper said, referring to the Turkish president's speech in which he gave utmost importance to the protection of civilians in the region.The Qatari newspaper Al-Watan gave coverage under the title "Turkish president stresses the need to resolve the issue of Idlib without new tragedies and tensions"."Turkey will not be a partner and a spectator" if the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people gets ignored in the interest of the Syrian regime, Erdogan was quoted as saying."We will not accept to leave Idlib at the mercy of the Assad regime," Al-Watan quoted Erdogan in another coverage of the summit.In its follow-up to the summit, the Qatari newspaper Al-Raya also printed several prominent headlines, including "the conclusion of the Tehran tripartite summit with an agreement to address the situation in Idlib".Also, the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed used the title “the tripartite summit ends in Tehran amid divergence over Idlib”.Qatar's Al Jazeera led its coverage of the summit with “Erdogan on Idlib: We won't watch from the sidelines”.Iraq’s state-run Sabah newspaper reported that Erdogan said the next summit will be in Russia, asserting that Ankara will not spare any effort to achieve stability in the region.Al Nahar Lebanese daily newspaper said in its title “Countdown in Idlib after failure of Tehran summit”.“The day after the failure of a summit in Tehran, fears have risen of an attack by regime forces and the new humanitarian disaster that will ensue in the last stronghold of the opposition where three million people live,” the newspaper said.Egypt’s flagship Al-Ahram covered the summit under the title: “In the Tehran summit, divergence about the fate of Idlib and agreeing on rejecting the U.S. presence.”Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.
Arab media highlights Erdoğan’s efforts for Idlib
Turkey aims to stop anticipated airstrikes from hitting Syria's Idlib, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Saturday.He warned against a serious humanitarian tragedy in Idlib, adding that it is a de-escalation zone where 3.5 million people live.“Turkey is working intensely with Russia and Iran to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Some countries are acting according to their own agendas,” Çavuşoğlu said.“We have exerted great efforts regarding the distinction between radical and moderate groups in Idlib. The Assad regime is making up excuses to attack Idlib,” he added.Airstrikes kill 5 civilians in Syria’s IdlibA trilateral summit of the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran on Friday underlined that “there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict" and called for advancing the political process to reach a negotiated solution.“The Idlib matter must be solved in a manner befitting of the spirit of Astana. A ceasefire is the solution. We have told Western countries numerous times. They support terror groups. Turkey is the only country that is putting forward a stance for Syria’s security,” Çavuşoğlu said.Video: Erdoğan says Turkey cannot leave Syria's Idlib to Assad’s mercyIdlib will not suffer the same fate as Daraa: Syrian opposition commander‘Possible Idlib attack to undermine peace processes’‘Turkey will not watch killing in Syria from sidelines’
Turkey aims to stop anticipated airstrikes in Syria's Idlib: FM