File photo
Turkish and Russian defense ministers discussed latest situation in Syria's norhwestern Idlib and Tal Rifaat in a phone conversation on Saturday, according to Turkish official sources.
The sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Hulusi Akar and Sergei Shoigu discussed regional security issues in framework of Sochi agreement.
In the conversation, technical and tactical measures to be taken in the field were specified, the sources said.
Akar and Shoigu also confirmed their consensus about joint work on ensuring and maintaining peace and security in Idlib and Tal Rifaat, the sources added.
After a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone -- in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited -- in Syria’s Idlib province.
Under the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area to prevent a resumption of fighting.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
A teenage Syrian girl, who received treatment in Turkey after suffering from injuries in her country's northwestern Idlib province, reunited with her family on Friday.Officials from Turkey's Family, Labor and Social Services Ministry, the Turkish Red Crescent and the governorship of southern Hatay province made 14-year-old E.H.Y.'s dream to see her parents after one-and-a-half years come true.She had undergone multiple surgeries due to the effects of the blast in her war-stricken country, and asked Turkish officials to help her reunite with her family after recovering.Meeting at the Yayladagi Border Crossing into Syria in Hatay, the family and officials burst into tears of joy.E.H.Y said she is very happy to meet her family."I was heavily injured after a bomb exploded near our home in Idlib. They brought me to Turkey alone. Fortunately received treatment here and recovered," she said."When I came to Turkey, my family was in Syria and I hadn't heard from anyone for a long time," she said, thanking the officials for their efforts.Meanwhile the girl's mother expressed her happiness for meeting her daughter after such a long time.
Turkish officials help Syrian teen reunite with family
Syrian Turkmens have decided to unite under a single flag following a congress held in the region's North, an official said Thursday."Our greatest power for the future will be our unity. Now we have a flag. This flag will represent and unite us," Syrian Turkmen Parliament Speaker Muhammed Vecih Cuma told Anadolu Agency.Cuma said that life has returned to normalcy in areas cleared of terrorists with Turkish support.He added that the civil society had strengthened and they had recently held a congress to decide upon a flag in Cobanbey -- also known as Al-Rai -- in northwestern Syria.Some 250 representatives from Aleppo, Idlib, Bayirbucak, Raqqa, Hama, Homs, Tartus, Daraa, Golan and Damascus attended the congress.Also Turkmen army commanders and civil society representatives attended the meeting."We fulfilled our people's wishes and accepted this mutual flag," Cuma said.The tri-colored flag has blue for Turkic roots, red for martyrs' blood, white for humane values, and crescent and star for Islam.Turkmens are a Turkic ethnic group based largely in Syria and Iraq, where they live alongside large Arab and Kurdish populations. The Turkmen community, which includes Sunni and Shia Muslims, shares close cultural ties with Turkey.Syrian Turkmens are Syrian citizens, who have Turkish roots and are living alongside Syria's Turkish border in country's northwestern town and villages.
Syrian Turkmens to unite under single flag