Turkey warns Syrian Army against lanching Idlib offensive

A military operation in Idlib can provoke a flow of refugees and damage Russia and Turkey’s trust on Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday during a joint press conference on the outcomes of the negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"Our goal is to eliminate the concerns of our Russian colleagues and to eradicate terrorists active in the region," he noted. "We can work together, but by removing, eliminating these radical groups, we may put civilians’ lives in danger. This can provoke a flow of refugees, drama, a human catastrophe, and, of course, this will hurt the trust established between Russia and Turkey on the Syrian issue, and undermine the authority of our countries. This is why we need to work on maintaining what we have achieved and think of what efforts we can make in this regard."

The Turkish foreign minister reminded that "Idlib is one of the de-escalation zones in the context of the Astana format."

"There are about three million civilians," he continued. "When the humanitarian corridors opened in Aleppo, Homs and other cities, unfortunately, armed fighters filled the regions among with the civilians. Our observation posts document all that, of course."

"Currently, there are about three million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and vast resources are spent to maintain them," Cavusoglu stated.

"It is important for everybody to eliminate radical elements, radical groups and militants, because they present a threat to national security. This is also important to Russia and to the West, but we should work on disengaging terrorists and civilians carefully and accurately."

More:
http://tass.com/world/1018532

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