Turkish-Russian Meeting Set Borders Of Idlib, Syria Disarmament Zone

The borders of a disarmament zone in a key Syrian province were set during a three-day meeting this week with a Russian delegation, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said Friday.



"Taking the geographical structure and characteristics of settled areas into consideration, the borders of the disarmament zone in Idlib have been set," the ministry said in a statement.



The just-concluded Turkish-Russian meeting on Sept. 19-21 discussed carrying out principles of the landmark Sochi agreement for the northwestern province of Idlib, said the ministry.



The agreement, following a meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, stipulated establishment of a 15 to 20-kilometer (9.3-12.4 miles) disarmament zone in Idlib, Syria's last opposition stronghold.





Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the "stabilization" of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.





Under the pact, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will do joint patrols in the area to head off renewed fighting. -