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Conflict in Syria

Too early to speak about end of work on demilitarized zone in Idlib, says diplomat

Despite practical success in forming a demilitarized line along the borders of this zone stipulated by the memorandum, it is too early to speak about the end of the necessary work

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Turkey thankful to Putin for supporting memorandum on Syria's Idlib — top diplomat

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Work to create a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib Governorate continues, and it is too early to speak about its end, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

"The implementation of the Russian-Turkish memorandum of September 17 on stabilization in the Idlib de-escalation zone continues. Despite practical success in forming a demilitarized line along the borders of this zone stipulated by the memorandum, it is too early to speak about the end of the necessary work," she said.

According to the Russian-Turkish memorandum that was signed in Sochi on September 17, there were plans to create a demilitarized zone of 15-20 km in Idlib by October 15, following the Russian and Turkish presidential elections. However, Turkey asked for additional time and to postpone joint patrolling in Idlib due to inability to guarantee security for its part.

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Syrian conflict

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