Syria, Idlib. FILE IMAGE: SANA/Handout via REUTERS
Moscow will continue its close cooperation with Ankara to resolve the Idlib crisis, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister for counterterrorism, Oleg Syromolotov, said in an interview with Sputnik on April 15.
“The situation in Idlib is regulated by the Russian-Turkish memorandum from September 17, 2018 … We will maintain active cooperation with Ankara within this memorandum on the Idlib settlement,” the diplomat said.
Syromolotov stressed that the implementation of the Russian-Turkish agreement should led to the elimination of all terrorists in Idlib.
“With this in mind, the Syrian Armed Forces will refrain from conducting a large-scale military anti-terrorist operation in the area,” the diplomat added.
According to the Russian diplomat, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former branch of al-Qaeda and its Syria, and its allies are strengthening their influence and increasing their attacks on civilian areas around Idlib.
At least eleven people were killed a day earlier, when terrorists launched a barrage of rockets from their positions in Idlib’s outskirt at the city of Aleppo. The attack was among the bloodiest since the implementation of the Russian-Turkish agreement, last September.
Syromolotov said that Russia’s patiency towards the situation in Idlib will eventually worn out. A threat that indicates that a military solution is still on the table.
