MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. Russian and Turkish observers registered four ceasefire violation in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily bulletin on ceasefire observation, published on Sunday.
"Control groups continue monitoring the ceasefire compliance within the implementation of the Memorandum on the de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic, which had been signed by the Russia, Turkey, and Iran on May 4, 2017. Situation in the de-escalation zones is assessed as stable," the Defense Ministry said. "Over the last 24 hours, the Russian party of the Russia-Turkey Commission on violations of the Joint Agreement has registered four cases of firing in the provinces of Homs (2), Damascus (1) and Idlib (1). The Turkish side has registered four cases of ceasefire violations in the province of Damascus."
"Most cases of unselective firing from small arms have been registered in the areas controlled by insurgents of the ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groupings," the ministry added.
"Over the last 24 hours the Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides has held one humanitarian action: citizens of Alqeen, Daraa province, received 1.9 tons of food supplies (rice, sugar, canned meat)," the document reads. "Total number of humanitarian actions is 1,692 with a total weight of cargo delivered - 2,330.337 tons."
"Over the last 24 hours, medical aid has been provided to 97 citizens," the bulletin reads. "In total, 66,492 people have received medical aid."
"Over the last 24 hours, one application has been signed with a leader of an illegal armed formation in the de-escalation zone No. 1.The number of armed formations, which have claimed to observe the ceasefire regime, reached 234," the Defense Ministry said.
De-escalation zones in Syria
At the Astana meeting on Syria in May, the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire (Russia, Iran and Turkey) signed a memorandum on setting up de-escalation zones in the war-torn country.
The three de-escalation zones are in Syria’s southwest, in Eastern Ghouta (Damascus suburbs) and near Homs. The fourth zone covers the Idlib Province and parts of the neighboring Aleppo, Latakia and Hama.
Starting from May 6, military activities and aircraft flights in the de-escalation zones were banned. The document’s term is six months, with an optional further extension.
In October, the media reported the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura had discussed ways to move from establishment of de-escalation zones to a sustainable political settlement in Syria, but no details were available.