BALADI NEWS
The Kremlin said on Friday it was Turkey’s responsibility to stop rebels in Syria’s Idlib province from firing on civilian and "Russian targets", signaling it would continue to back a Syrian government offensive there despite Ankara’s protests, Reuters news agency reported.
The month-long offensive, the biggest escalation of the war between Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebels since last summer, has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis as thousands of people shelter from air strikes at the Turkish border.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late on Thursday that he wanted a ceasefire in Idlib to prevent more civilian deaths and a refugee influx to Turkey, Erdogan’s office said in a statement.
The Turkish leader has repeatedly complained to Moscow about a Russian-backed Syrian regime offensive in the rebel-held northwest, the last significant rebel stronghold.
Russia, one of the Syrian regime's staunchest allies, and Turkey brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib that would be free of all heavy weapons and jihadist fighters.
But Moscow, which is keen to help Assad retake territory, has since complained about escalating violence in the area and said that militants who used to belong to the Nusra Front group are in control of large tracts of territory.
It has blamed Turkey for not doing enough to hold its side of the bargain, while Ankara, which is worried about refugees crossing from Idlib into Turkey, has repeatedly urged restraint.
The United Nations said last week that more than 200,000 people had fled the violence since the regime offensive began at the end of April. The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations (UOSSM), which provides assistance to health facilities, put the number at more than 300,000.
Source: Reuters.