Baladi News - Media
The presidents of Turkey and Russia agreed on Monday to declare Syria's Idlib province as a "demilitarized zone," with the aim of halting the Syrian government's assault on the rebel-held region.
The agreement marks a major diplomatic victory for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was eager to prevent a large-scale Syrian regime assault, backed by Russia, on the last remaining rebel stronghold in Syria.
"We have decided to create a demilitarized zone some 15 to 20 kilometers (nine to 12.5 miles) deep along the line of contact between the armed opposition and regime troops by October 15 of this year," Russian President Vladimir Putin said after more than four hours of talks with Erdogan in Sochi.
Source: Deutsche Welle