Russia announces cease-fire in Idlib upon deal with Turkey

A cease-fire has been established in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib, TASS news agency reported, citing a Russian defense ministry official Thursday.

"According to the agreements with the Turkish side, the cease-fire regime was introduced in the Idlib de-escalation zone starting from 14:00 Moscow time (1100 GMT) on Jan. 9, 2020," Russian Maj. Gen. Yury Borenkov was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Wednesday in a meeting held in Istanbul between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, both leaders agreed to continue their commitment to "sovereignty, independence, political unity and territorial integrity of Syria."

A joint statement by the leaders of the two countries also urged greater humanitarian aid to "all Syrians, without discrimination, politicization and preconditions."
The Idlib region has seen an uptick in violence recently as forces loyal to the regime of Bashar Assad, supported by Russian airstrikes, have launched a fresh assault to capture one of the largest urban centers in the area.

The Assad regime has repeatedly vowed to take back the area, and bombardments have been continuing despite a previous cease-fire.

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. Since then, more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone as the cease-fire continues to be violated. Over 1 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border following intense attacks.

Idlib hosts some 3 million people including many displaced by years of violence in other parts of Syria.