Turkish Observation Posts in Syria's Idlib to Be Constructed in Week - Erdogan

Sputnik News

17:31 13.05.2018

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey will complete the construction of Syrian ceasefire observation posts in the Syrian province of Idlib within a week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"As of now, the number of the observation posts along the perimeter of the de-escalation zone in Idlib has reached 10. The agreements envisage the construction of 12 such posts. The remaining two will be built within the upcoming week. I hope that after the construction of the posts is completed the situation in Idlib will normalize," Erdogan told reporters.

There are currently four agreed de-escalation zones in Syria, which has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011. The first in Idlib and parts of neighboring Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo provinces; the second in the north of the central Homs province; the third in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus; and the fourth in certain parts of the country's southern Daraa and Quneitra provinces.

The agreement on the establishment of de-escalation zones has been reached by the Syrian ceasefire guarantor states – Iran, Russian and Turkey – as part of the Astana peace process for Syria.

The agreement stipulated that the monitoring in the de-escalation zone in Idlib is carried out by Iranian, Russian and Turkish forces, while the remaining zones will be maintained by the Russian military police.

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