MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. Russian monitors reported 14 ceasefire violations in Syria in the past day but confirmed neither of the 11 violations reported by Turkish officers, the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said in its regular daily news bulletin on Sunday.
"During the day, Russian officers in the Russian-Turkish joint commission set up to monitor ceasefire violations in Syria reported 14 ceasefire violations in the provinces of Damascus (8), Latakia (3), Hama (2), and Daraa (1)," the center said.
According to the bulletin, reconciliation agreements were signed during the day with two settlements in the provinces of Damascus and al-Suwayda. The overall number of Syrian settlements that have joined the reconciliation process has reached 1,431. Ceasefire agreements were reached with three armed groups. The number of such groups has reached 139.
Syria’s government troops regained control of an area of 8 square kilometers during the day. In all, an overall area of 3,680 square kilometers has been liberated from Islamic State since January 1, 2017.
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.