Russian President’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Turkey has not yet fulfilled the Syria accords reached in Sochi by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He told about this in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin "on the channel" Russia 1 ".

Peskov explained that the documents signed by Russian and Turkish leaders said that it was Ankara that should guarantee the breeding, demarcation and withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone in Syria. However, at the moment, the terrorists in Idlib are “perfectly armed, constantly receiving ammunition, ammunition, military equipment,” the spokesman added.

“Very dangerous samples of military equipment fall into their hands. And all this, unfortunately, does not contribute to the normalization of the situation, ”said Peskov.

Peskov also said that Vladimir Putin "is a supporter" of the summit on Syria and a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany may take place when it is possible to agree on schedules of heads of state. He recalled that on February 21, Putin and Erdogan had a telephone conversation, the tone of which was working.

Peskov explained that the offensive actions of the terrorists in Idlib could not go unanswered by the Syrian armed forces, which led to "extreme tension."

At the same time, the spokesman noted that the Russian and Turkish military "are in constant contact." He called not to fall into "gloomy moods" and not build negative scenarios for the development of Russian-Turkish relations because of the aggravation of the situation in Idlib.

  • © Sputnik / Mikhail Klimentyev / Kremlin via REUTERS

Earlier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the word “war” can be used to describe what is happening in Idlib. In addition, according to the Turkish leader, he asked Vladimir Putin to put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop the Syrian army from attacking Idlib and withdraw from Turkish observation posts by the end of February. Erdogan noted that otherwise Turkey will give a military response.

In a conversation with a Turkish counterpart, Vladimir Putin expressed serious concern about the aggressive actions of extremist groups in the region, and also stated the need for unconditional respect for the sovereignty of Syria.

The Idlib de-escalation zone is the last large area controlled by terrorist organizations. To resolve the situation, Russia and Turkey agreed on joint actions, which include the creation of observation posts and joint patrols. However, the militants in the region do not comply with the ceasefire and are attempting to launch an offensive on the positions of Syrian government forces. In addition, terrorists attack civilians and the military base of Khmeimim.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, previously stated that Moscow remains committed to the Sochi memorandum and is set to continue cooperation, but the Turkish side is “chronically” not fulfilling its obligations.

Recall that Russia took part in resolving the situation after the start of the Turkish operation "Source of Peace" in Syria. On October 9, 2019, Ankara launched a military operation on the territory of the SAR, aimed at the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) and the Self-Defense Forces (YPG) that are part of them. Ankara ranks these formations as terrorist. The United States, which supported the SDS during the conflict in Syria, before the start of the Turkish operation began the withdrawal of its troops from the northern regions of Syria. The current situation has led to a significant increase in tension in the region.

October 22, Vladimir Putin said that following talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, agreements have been reached that allow "to resolve the acute situation that has developed on the Syrian-Turkish border." The parties agreed that Syrian troops and the Russian military police will enter the area outside the Turkish operation in the SAR, which will facilitate the withdrawal of Kurdish units and their weapons 30 km from the Syrian-Turkish border. The leaders also agreed to begin joint Russian-Turkish patrols "to a depth of 10 km from the border to the west and east" from the area of ​​the Turkish operation.