Turkey called for separation of opposition from "terrorists"

NEWS DESK

The Interfax news agency reported that Russia offered on Friday a proposal to resolve the situation in northwestern Syria, especially Idlib, which remains under the control of mercenary gangs and opposition factions.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu met with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar in Moscow on Friday to discuss what they called "ways of stabilizing the situation in Syria" and military cooperation between the two countries.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu warned earlier on Friday of a possible attack by the Syrian regime on the last opposition stronghold, while Russia said its patience had run out against the rebels.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also said in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said Russia and Turkey must work together to separate opposition gangs from "terrorists" in the northwestern province of Idlib.

He told a news conference in Moscow " we can work together, but we can endanger the lives of civilians as we root out those extremist gangs."

The Turkish minister warned that launching an armed attack on Idlib would lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe".

Lavrov said Moscow's patience was running out of militants in Idlib, whom the Kremlin accuses of targeting government sites as well as the Russian military base there.

Idlib has become a stronghold of armed factions and displaced from other cities, based on ceasefire agreements Turkey was a key partner.

But observers say the goal of bringing together the militants in Idlib is to facilitate their elimination in a military operation in a densely populated city and displaced civilians.

Source: Sky News Arabic

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