Erdogan slams Russia as regime offensive sends Idlib residents fleeing for Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Moscow is not upholding the Astana and Sochi cease-fire agreements after Syrian regime forces retook a key city in Idlib Wednesday, sending a new wave of displaced civilians toward the Turkish border.
ISTANBUL — An estimated 120,000 people have been displaced across Syria’s Idlib province in the last two weeks as Russian-backed forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad retook a key city Tuesday.
The displaced population joins hundreds of thousands of civilians who have fled fighting in northwest Syria despite a Jan. 12 cease-fire agreement brokered by officials in Ankara and Moscow who back opposing sides in a nine-year-old conflict that has claimed an estimated 400,000 lives.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to recent developments with frustration, saying Russia had failed to uphold prior accords to de-escalate the Syrian conflict.
“Unfortunately, Russia hasn't abided by either the Astana or the Sochi agreements,” Erdogan said. “We have waited until now, but from this point, we are going to take our own actions. This is not a threat but our expectation is that Russia will give the regime the necessary warning.”
