Ankara, Moscow agree on Idlib demilitarized zone borders as opposition completes withdrawal of heavy weapons
The Syrian opposition and other anti-regime forces on Monday completed the withdrawal of all their heavy weapons from Idlib frontlines in northwestern Syria.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik news that Ankara and Moscow had agreed on the borders of Idlib’s demilitarized zone.
"The borders of the demilitarized zone have been already determined. Very good contacts, cooperation, ties have been established between the military of Turkey and Russia," Vershinin said.
Following a meeting in Sochi last month between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two countries agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Syria’s last opposition stronghold.
Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the "stabilization" of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing renewed fighting.
Mostly controlled by the Free Syrian Army, Idlib is located just across the border from Turkey’s southern province of Hatay.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others were displaced, according to UN officials.
