All news

Putin, Erdogan agree on steps in Syria’s Idlib demilitarized zone - Lavrov

"They noted that despite active and consistent steps of our Turkish colleagues, still not all extremists have met the demand to leave the 20-km demilitarized zone", Russia's top diplomat said

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, December 2. /TASS/. The leaders of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed on steps to implement the agreement on Syria’s Idlib demilitarized zone during their meeting in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" on Rossiya 1 TV channel on Sunday.

"At this meeting the sides confirmed their agreement on Idlib," Lavrov said. "They noted that despite active and consistent steps of our Turkish colleagues, still not all extremists have met the demand to leave the 20-km demilitarized zone," he said.

"They agreed on further steps aimed at honoring the agreement on creating this demilitarized zone, but simultaneously to take measures so that the extremists do not try to sabotage this vital agreement, which everyone has welcomed," Lavrov said.

The September 17 talks between the Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Russia’s Sochi yielded an agreement to establish a demilitarized zone (15-20 km deep) in Syria’s Idlib, along the contact line between government troops and the opposition by October 15. However, Ankara asked for extra time and delay the beginning of joint patrolling of this Syrian governorate due to its failure to guarantee security.

At the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires on Saturday Erdogan suggested holding a new summit on the situation in Idlib.