All news

Kremlin spokesman declines to talk about ‘worst-case scenarios’ for Syria’s Idlib

In view of the developments, the possibility of a four-party summit on Syria, involving Russia, Turkey, France and Germany is under consideration, according to the presidential press secretary

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Moscow is deeply concerned about the situation in Syria’s Idlib province and continues consultations on the issue with Ankara, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"The situation in Idlib is indeed alarming and causes deep concern. Russia and Turkey continue to discuss the situation. We would like to refrain from talking about the worst-case scenarios," he commented on the possibility of an armed confrontation between Russia and Turkey in Idlib.

The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that "Syrian troops are fighting terrorist groups" in Idlib. According to Peskov, "these terrorist groups carry out aggressive actions against the Syrian army and must be eliminated."

In view of the developments, the possibility of a four-party summit on Syria, involving Russia, Turkey, France and Germany is under consideration, but no final decision has been made yet, Dmitry Peskov revealed.

"The idea of holding another summit like that has been put forward on several occasions," he pointed out. "The possibility of such a summit is under consideration but no specific decisions have been made yet," he added. According to Peskov, if the four countries' leaders consider it necessary, they may hold a meeting.

The first and the only four-party meeting on Syria took place in Istanbul in October 2018.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to the Kremlin press service, the parties focused on ways to resolve the Syrian crisis in light of the rising tensions in Idlib. German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert, in turn, said that Merkel and Macron had expressed readiness to meet with Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in order to work out a political solution.

Idlib tensions

The situation in the Syrian province of Idlib escalated in early February after the Russian and Turkish militaries had made another attempt to ensure a ceasefire. In response, terrorists intensified attacks, killing both Russian and Turkish military experts. The Syrian army took action against extremists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on February 19 that Ankara was ready to use all of its military strength if an operation began in Idlib. He added that such an operation was only a matter of time as all preparations had been completed.