Turkey provides security to civilians and has started a number of economic initiatives in the Idlib de-escalation zone
Turkey is rapidly continuing its efforts to end the long-lasting deprivation and normalize daily life in the last opposition-held stronghold of Syria’s Idlib, which was under cruel chemical attacks of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, forcing civilians to flee from their homes.
As thousands of Syrian refugees have started to return to their homes in the Idlib province since Turkey and Russia signed an agreement to set up a demilitarized zone in the area, new projects are being implemented to normalize daily life in the region.
Turkey has been investing in a diverse array of economic and social plans in the town such as infrastructure and local administration in order to revive the city. It has also opened schools and hospitals and trained local security forces.
One of the leading plans is creating “industrial zones” to enhance internal economic relationships.
The Turkish Red Crescent also inaugurated a pre-school and a tailoring shop in northern Syria on Sunday.
Kerem Kınık , head of the agency, attended the inauguration in Khan Sheikhoun district of Idlib province which was the target of a chemical attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime last year.
The pre-school will teach 55 children including those who had been orphaned.
The tailoring shop will employ some 20 women.
Speaking to reporters, Kınık said the Turkish Red Crescent has sent 42,000-trucks of humanitarian aid to Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011.
More than 100 civilians were killed and 500 others, mostly children, were injured in a sarin gas attack in Khan Shaykhun strongly believed to be carried out by Assad regime warplanes.
The agricultural products of civilians had previously been looted before the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) ensured security in the region following the establishment of 12 observational posts.
Syrians in Idlib have started to sell their crops, especially the products of 4 million olive trees, in the domestic market.
New cooperatives are opening up one after the other in the town such as the marble, iron-steel, aluminum and canning factories which have already started to commence production.
Under the Astana agreement, Turkish forces are present at 12 points from Idlib's north to south to ensure the safety of civilians.
The 11th round of Syria peace talks within the scope of the Astana agreement concluded in November with a decision to step up joint efforts to prevent violations of the cease-fire in the town.
