BALADI NEWS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed in a phone call Friday (August 23) the recent developments in Syria, DS reported.
According to a statement by the Turkish Presidency, Erdogan told Putin that Assad regime attacks and violations of de-escalation deal in Idlib were causing a major humanitarian crisis and posed "very serious" threat to Turkey's national security.
The latest Assad regime offensive has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee toward the Turkish border.
Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the observation point was not under threat and that no force could take Turkish soldiers hostage.
The Assad regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the area.
Source: Orient Net.