MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Russian monitors reported eight ceasefire violations in Syria in the past day and confirmed only one out of 22 violations reported by Turkish specialists, the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said in its regular daily news bulletin on Friday.
"During the day, Russian officers in the Russian-Turkish joint commission set up to monitor ceasefire violations in Syria reported eight ceasefire violations, including three in the province of Damascus, two - in the province of Latakia, and three - in the province of Hama," the center said.
Turkish officers reported 22 ceasefire violations, including seven - in the province of Aleppo, five - in the province of Damascus, three - in the province of Daraa, four - in the province of Idlib, one - in the province of Hama, and two - in the province of Homs, the center said, adding that the Russian side confirmed only one ceasefire violation, with no confirmation found to the remaining 21.
According to the bulletin, Syria’s government troops regained control of an area of 23 square kilometers during the day. In all, an overall area of 3,046.7 square kilometers has been liberated since January 1, 2017. "The number of settlements liberated by Syrian government troops from Islamic State groups remains unchanged - 171," the center said.
During the day, the settlements of al-Rikha and Umm Ruaq in the province of al-Suwaida and Karim Fauzi in the province of Latakia joined the ceasefire. The overall number of Syrian settlements that have joined the reconciliation process has reached 1,338, as follows from the bulletin.
The nationwide ceasefire came into force across Syria at midnight on December 30, 2016 under the agreement on a complex solution to the Syria crisis. Syrian government forces and groups of armed opposition with an overall strength of more than 60,000 have joined the agreement. Russia and Turkey act as the ceasefire guarantors. Ceasefire does not cover terrorist groups, such as Islamic State.
The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23, 2016. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. The center was set up in line with agreements reached by Russia and the United States to facilitate the negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition and to organize humanitarian deliveries.