Sweden calls for pressure on Syrian regime over Idlib

By Atila Altuntas

STOCKHOLM (AA) - Sweden's foreign minister urged the European Union on Monday to pressure Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime over its attacks in Idlib province.

With around a million Syrians fleeing due to the attacks, pressure on the Assad regime should be increased and a ceasefire and humanitarian access should demanded, Ann Linde said on Facebook.

Her remarks came after a meeting of foreign ministers of European Union countries in Brussels.

Mentioning that Sweden had allocated 35 million euros ($38 million) for the humanitarian crisis in Idlib, she stressed that the Assad regime’s attacks were horrible.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Since then, however, more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by Assad regime and Russian forces flouting both a 2018 ceasefire and a new one that started on Jan. 12 this year.