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Turkey warns Syria against breaching agreements

Thursday, 06 February 2020 3:05 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 06 February 2020 3:12 AM ]

Rahshan Saglam
Press TV, Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given Syria an ultimatum to pull its forces back from its military posts in the country’s last militant enclave following unprecedented clashes between the two sides’ forces. He said two of Turkey's 12 observation posts in Idlib, set up under a 2018 agreement with Russia, were now "behind the regime's lines". The Turkish president warned that if the if the withdrawal does not take place by end of February Ankara will then have to take actions.

Erdogan spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as the main backer of Syrian government on Tuesday and told him Ankara would respond "firmly" to any new Syrian attack.

Reports say Syrian army has managed to seize many towns and villages over the past days. Observers say Turkey is concerned about the Syrian army advances and the failure of its plan to create a safe zone there.

On Sunday, a number Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack in Idlib. Turkey had retaliated by destroying targets related to Syrian government.

Syrian government had time and again voiced its opposition to the presence of Turkish troops on its soil, with Ankara saying it only aims at protecting its borders, people and innocent civilians in Idlib.

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