Turkey says Idlib ceasefire details agreed on with Russia

Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar announced on Thursday that Turkish and Russian officials have agreed on the details of a ceasefire deal in Syria’s Idlib region.
The move comes after discussions between the two countries, which back opposite sides in the Syrian war. Last week, they agreed to halt military action in Idlib, which is the last rebel stronghold. Turkey later threatened to retaliate against violations by the Syrian government, which is backed by Russia.
Under the deal, Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad will not seek to reclaim control over all of Idlib. Both sides agreed to establish a “security corridor” along Idlib’s M4 highway and start joint patrols along the road from 15 March.
A Russian delegation arrived in Ankara this week to discuss the details of the agreement. “We have largely reached an agreement. At the moment, the attacks have stopped, the ceasefire is holding. The joint patrols will start along the M4 on March 15. Our colleagues are discussing the details of that”, Akar was later cited as saying.
Under the 2018 Sochi memorandum with Moscow, Turkey can deploy troops at military observation posts around Idlib. In return, it was obliged to separate jihadists from other opposition factions in the region and disarm them.
“There are no issues regarding the observation posts. There are no violations (of the ceasefire) against observation posts either. These observation posts will continue to carry out their duties”, a Turkish security official said.
More than 380,000 people were killed in nine year war and about half of the country’s population is displaced.