Turkey, Russia end first day of talks on Idlib, Syria

By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish and Russian delegations ended the first day of talks in Ankara on the situation in Idlib, Syria.

Leading the third round of talks in the Foreign Ministry was Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal. The Russian delegation was headed by Presidential envoy for Syria Sergey Vershinin and special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, according to diplomatic sources.

Talks will continue Thursday.

Idlib, near Turkey's southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib, and for the cease-fire to be followed, inviting the international community to take action.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur