Turkey, Russia, Iran May Conduct Operations Against Militants in Idlib

"Joint operations can be held at any time in line with the developments. There is no obstacle in front of these. Current measures are for the comfort, happiness and prosperity of the people in Idlib. What is essential for us is the security of the people of Idlib," Erdogan told reporters, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News media outlet.

He added that Turkish and Russian forces would continue to work on the implementation of the September Russian-Turkish memorandum on the situation in Idlib as well as to fight terrorism in the region.

The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran held a fourth trilateral meeting on settlement of the Syrian conflict in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Thursday. According to Ankara, the meeting focused on the situation in Idlib.

Last September, Syrian ceasefire guarantors Russia and Turkey agreed to set up a demilitarised zone in the Idlib de-escalation zone, where a number of armed formations and terrorist groups are still active.

The demilitarised zone was expected to have been established by mid-October 2018 but despite progress in the withdrawal of heavy weapons and militants from the area, the remaining groups regularly commit ceasefire violations, shelling nearby provinces.

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