Turkey’s defense minister meets EU foreign policy chief

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his delegation.

The preliminary agenda of the meeting was the current situation in Syria’s Idlib province and the issue of irregular migrants, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

The meeting focused on the importance of mutual cooperation and dialogue in connection with Idlib.

Idlib, just across 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 have consistently broken the terms of the agreement, launching frequent attacks inside the territory, where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield on Feb. 27 after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in an airstrike by forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Idlib.

Under the 2018 deal with Russia, Turkish troops were in Idlib to protect civilians from attacks by the Assad regime and its allies.

More than 1,300 civilians have been killed in the Idlib de-escalation zone in such attacks, sending 1 million refugees towards Turkey's border with Syria.

*Writing by Firdevs Bulut