Russia says summit to help clarify military situation in Syria's Idlib

Kremlin says situation in Syria's Idlib Province of heightened concern

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the situation in Syria's Idlib Province remained of heightened concern and that Russia was talking to various countries about it."The situation in Idlib is still a matter of heightened concern and worry and, of course, it is on the agenda when it comes to all contacts that the Russian side has at various levels with relevant colleagues," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call. Turkey, Russia hold last working group meeting on SyriaSyrian opposition head calls on world to ‘stop the massacre’ in IdlibAssad regime shells Syria's Idlib

US takes advantage of Idlib crisis to increase support for PKK/YPG in Syria

The U.S., taking advantage of the rising tensions in last-opposition-held stronghold of Idlib, is sending military reinforcements to areas occupied by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror group east of the Euphrates River in Syria.It delivered 200 truckloads of ammunition on Tuesday to Syria’s Raqqa, which is currently under the occupation of the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).The U.S has supplied the YPG terror organization with more than 5,000 truckloads of weapons to allegedly use in the fight against Daesh, despite Ankara’s warnings that the group is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror organization.Washington escalates warning to AssadThe White House on Tuesday warned, "If Syrian President Bashar al-Assad chooses to again use chemical weapons, the United States and its allies will respond swiftly and appropriately,” in an attempt to escalate chaos in the region.President Donald Trump in the past year and a half has twice ordered U.S.-led air strikes against targets in Syria in response to what Washington called the Assad government’s use of chemical weapons against civilians.On Tuesday, Russian warplanes bombed several areas in Idlib, raising worries of a major assault by the Assad regime forces and its allies.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.Pentagon’s no-fly zone strategyThe Washington administration, which intends to maintain a permanent presence in Syria, has completed the construction of three advanced radar systems in Syria’s Hasakah-Tal Baidar countryside along with the Ayn al-Arab and Sarrin regions, and has set up 13 portable and fixed observation-intelligence radar systems.Pentagon’s preparation for a no-fly-zone indicates that the U.S. administration also wants to interfere in Turkey’s military operations to ensure the safety of PKK terrorists after Ankara’s successful ops conducted in Syria’s Hasakah, Qarrah Chouk Mountains and Iraq’s Sinjar.US trains 40,000 terroristsIn January, the U.S.-led international coalition against Daesh announced that it would establish a 30,000-strong new border security force, funded by Saudi Arabia, with the SDF -- the U.S.-backed group that is largely controlled and manned by the PKK/PYD terrorist organization in Syria. The U.S. and its allies have also trained around 40,000 PKK terrorists since 2015.The purpose of Washington is to put pressure on the Damascus regime to approve a PKK autonomy in the region.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.

Turkey, Russia hold last working group meeting on Syria

The last meeting between the working groups of Turkey and Russia on Syria was held on Aug. 31-Sept. 4, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.The ministry said the meeting focused on the latest developments in Syria and regional security.It added joint working groups will continue in the future as well.The meeting came ahead of trilateral summit between Turkey, Russia and Iran on Sept. 7 in Tehran.Assad regime shells Syria's IdlibErdoğan says Idlib assault would be ‘a grave massacre’Russia says in contact with Turkey regarding northern Syria

Syrian opposition head calls on world to ‘stop the massacre’ in Idlib

Syrian opposition head Jawad Abu Hatab has called on Turkey and the international community to stop the massacre in Idlib after Russian bombardment struck 18 targets in the northwestern opposition stronghold. Speaking exclusively to Yeni Şafak daily, the prime minister of Syria’s Interim Government described the Russian attack that precedes a planned summit in Tehran on Sept. 7 as “surprising,” noting that over 30 missiles struck the Idlib town of Jisr al-Shughour, then Hama’s Sahl al-Ghab region.A trilateral summit of Turkey, Russia and Iran on Syria is scheduled for Friday, with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.Assad regime shells Syria's IdlibOn Tuesday, Russian warplanes bombed several areas in the last opposition-held stronghold of Idlib, raising worries of a major assault by the Assad regime forces and its allies.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.“A serious ground mobilization can be seen on the regime front, but any ground bombing or advance has not started yet,” noted Abu Hatab.UN aid chief fears worst humanitarian crisis in IdlibUS Turkish embassy voices concern over Idlib offensiveAbu Hatab pointed that the Assad regime grew emboldened by international indifference toward Syria, pointing that the aim of pro-Assad forces is to control the opposition-held towns of Ariha, Khan Sheikhun, Saraqib, Jisr al-Shughour, Qalaat al-Madiq and the M4- M5 highway. In May 2017, Idlib was designated a “de-escalation zone” -- in which acts of aggression are expressly forbidden -- as part of ongoing peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana.Ghost townsAbu Hatab also warned that the northwestern opposition-held regions would turn into “ghost towns” if the regime manages to seize control over them, which would successfully secure the western leg of Assad’s project after the PKK-U.S. alliance largely completed the same mission in the eastern parts of the country.A large-scale Syrian regime offensive in the opposition stronghold of Idlib could lead to the “worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century,” the UN’s humanitarian chief warned on Tuesday.Erdoğan says Idlib assault would be ‘a grave massacre’Russia says in contact with Turkey regarding northern Syria

Assad regime shells Syria's Idlib

The Assad regime shelled Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Wednesday after Russia resumed air strikes the previous day.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has sworn to recapture every inch of Syria and has made big gains against the opposition since Russia joined his war effort in 2015.Last week, a source close to Damascus said the government was preparing a phased offensive to recover Idlib province, but Turkey, whose army has a string of observation posts around the edge of the opposition area, has warned against such an assault.Russian air raids ceased in and around Idlib on August 15, but pro-Syrian government forces have maintained an aerial bombardment and shelling.Russia says in contact with Turkey regarding northern SyriaUN envoy urges Erdoğan, Putin to discuss IdlibUN aid chief fears worst humanitarian crisis in Idlib

Erdoğan says Idlib assault would be ‘a grave massacre’

An attack on Syria's Idlib, the last opposition-held stronghold, would be a massacre and the upcoming summit in Tehran, which will be attended by the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey, will yield positive results, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters on the plane back from an official visit to Kyrgyzstan.“Turkey is working with Russia and Iran. Turkey has 12 observation posts in Idlib, and our security forces are resolutely carrying out their duties. There are 3.5 million people [in Idlib]. God forbid, if this area is hailed by missiles there would be a grave massacre. In that case, where would those fleeing go to? The majority would come to Turkey. This could give rise to a new issue,” Erdoğan said.“Apart from Idlib, be it regarding Tell Rifaat or Manbij, our efforts are ongoing. The Tehran summit will be held on Sept. 7. We will carry this issue to a positive point with the Tehran summit, which is a continuation of Astana. I hope we will be able to prevent the Syrian government's extremism in this region,” he added.Russia and Turkey, along with Iran are sponsoring the Astana peace talks, which focuses on a cease-fire and ending the seven-year civil war in Syria.UN aid chief fears worst humanitarian crisis in IdlibManbij roadmap not proceeding as plannedErdoğan stated that the road map for the northern Syrian city of Manbij agreed between Ankara and Washington in June is not proceeding as planned.“I can say that we are not at the point discussed by our foreign minister and [his U.S. counterpart] Mike Pompeo regarding Manbij. It is being neglected. We are not at an ideal point. Unfortunately the agreement made is not going forward in the same direction as the initial discussions. I hope that we will enter a new phase with the meetings our Foreign Minister [Mevlüt] Çavuşoğlu and our Defense Minister Hulusi Akar will hold with their counterparts,” Erdoğan said.Under the road map for Manbij agreed by the two NATO allies, Turkish and U.S. forces are now carrying out joint patrols to clear the area of the YPG.In a meeting on Tuesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the U.S. special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, discussed the developments in Syria.Russia says in contact with Turkey regarding northern Syria“Right now, the situation in Idlib is of critical importance for us. A ruthless process has been going on there. God forbid, if disaster strikes, the first place they will be able to flee to is Turkey. Now such a risk is on the agenda at a time Syrians [in Turkey] have started to return,” Erdoğan said.Idlib, located in northwestern Syria on the Turkish border, has faced intense attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime after a vicious civil war broke out in 2011. Since March 2015, Idlib is no longer under the control of the Assad regime and has been overrun by opposition groups.The Assad regime is currently preparing for an offensive to recapture the region.UN envoy urges Erdoğan, Putin to discuss IdlibTurkey-U.S. tiesThe Turkish president also said that U.S. President Donald Trump had not requested a meeting on the sidelines of this month’s UN general assembly, and that he would not submit a request either.Regarding the case of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, which has caused relations between Ankara and Washington to sour, Erdoğan said that Turkey cannot fulfill "unlawful requests.” Erdoğan added that Turkey followed the rule of law and the U.S. would not be able to make progress in the case by using threats.“As another example, we can look at the situation of Halkbank executive Hakan Atilla. He entered the U.S. six times, and they arrested him as he was leaving from his seventh visit. Halkbank doesn’t even have a branch in the U.S. What is the crime of Halkbank or its executive? There is no clear evidence. The law is not important for them [the U.S.]. They say that they are mighty, and therefore right,” Erdoğan said.Turkey expects no fine for Halkbank: FinMinA U.S. law firm hired by Turkey to look into state-owned Halkbank's dealings with Iran found that it did not violate U.S. sanctions. Law firm King and Spalding and data firm Exiger carried out the investigation after a Halkbank executive was charged in New York last year with taking part in a scheme to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions. The executive was found guilty and sentenced in May to 32 months in jail, a decision which Turkey said was politically motivated.Erdoğan hails new U.S. special representative for SyriaErdoğan lauded the new U.S. special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, who met with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Tuesday in Ankara.“I believe Mr. [James] Jeffrey’s appointment is on point. During my visit to the U.S., I had met with him. I believe his appointment is so sagacious it cannot be compared to the previous envoy, who has not been taken off duty and is still active in the region. I hope his appointment will benefit this new process, and that it will enable some steps to be taken quicker,” Erdoğan said.Turkey tells US that YPG/PKK must leave SyriaTurkey-EU relations“Unfortunately, the EU has not responded to the positive steps Turkey has taken. We still have not received reciprocation. Many decisions were always postponed. From free movement to aid promised for refugees, we want to surpass these matters so that we can see ahead,” Erdoğan said.In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal aiming to stem the irregular migration flow through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions for nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.Turkey has long complained of the EU being slow to deliver the promised funds for refugees and failing to uphold its end of the deal concerning visa-free travel.Erdoğan’s upcoming visit to Germany“The EU, apart from a few exceptions, is not at the point we desire. I will make an official visit to Germany following the invitation of the president [Frank Walter Steinmeier]. The visit will also give me the opportunity to meet with [chancellor] Angela Merkel. There are many matters that must be evaluated regarding Turkey-Germany relations. There are over three million Turks in Germany. I place great importance upon this visit, which will give us the opportunity to discuss many issues face to face. Germany has a very critical position in the EU, and is virtually a leader,” he added.Macron should conduct return visit to Turkey“France seems more positive, but [French President Emmanuel] Macron did not conduct a return visit, and he should. We hold meetings and phone calls in order to make moves, but their approach regarding the developments in Syria are not too good. We cannot say that the approach of the Netherlands or Belgium is too good,” Erdoğan said.The Turkish president had visited France in early 2018.

Sergei Ryabkov