ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey is to blame for the recent spate of clashes between its troops stationed in Syria’s Idlib and regime forces in the area because it “systematically disregards its commitments” to the de-confliction deal signed in Sochi in 2018, Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
“Lately, the situation in Idlib has become extremely tense. Fighters of the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir Sham (HTS) and its affiliated groups have increased attacks against Syrian government forces, shelled nearby Aleppo, and attacked a Russian airbase using drones,” foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a press conference in Moscow.
Some 150 civilians have been killed and 300 injured in the recent attack, while more than 400 Syrian soldiers have been killed and 900 injured, she said.
“The reasons behind this situation degradation is because Turkey systematically disregards its commitments under the Sochi memorandum of September 17, 2018, and Turkey sent squads of the so-called moderate opposition to the northeast of Syria in Operation Peace Spring and Libya,” she added, referring to Turkey and its Syrian proxy’s October 9 operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Backed by Russian air power, Syrian regime forces launched an operation against the HTS in December, which has intensified in recent weeks, leading to the recapture of dozens of towns and villages by Damascus and the mass displacement of civilians.
Turkey, which has long supported elements of the Syrian armed opposition, operates 12 observation posts in the northwest province of Idlib, which borders with southern Turkey, many of which are now surrounded by regime forces.
Twelve Turkish soldiers and a civilian contractor were killed by regime forces in two similar attacks in the last two weeks. Ankara claims to have since “neutralized” dozens of regime fighters in retaliatory attacks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that further retaliation could be expected.
“The Assad regime was dealt a resounding blow, especially in Idlib, but that is not enough. There is more to come,” he said.
Erdogan renewed these threats on Wednesday, saying Ankara will “strike back against regime forces everywhere” if its troops are targeted.
“In case our soldiers at observation points suffer in any way... I hereby declare we will strike back against regime forces everywhere. We will not forgive even the slightest violation,” he told an audience at a meeting of the country’s ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) in Ankara.
Ankara-Damascus relations have hit their lowest ebb in recent weeks as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad battles to regain control of Idlib province, the last remaining rebel bastion in a country wracked by civil war, now in its ninth year.
Ankara has deployed more than 5,000 troops to Idlib in recent weeks. The force includes tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other military equipment.
Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone on Wednesday, discussing Idlib.
Both leaders “continued the discussion regarding various aspects of the Syrian peace process, primarily in the context of the recent aggravation in the Idlib de-escalation zone,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
“They also noted the importance of the full implementation of the existing Russian-Turkish agreements, including the Sochi Memorandum of September 17, 2018. Additional contacts between the relevant government agencies were planned for these purposes,” it added.
Erdogan told reporters after his party’s parliamentary group meeting: “We assessed the situation in Idlib with Putin.”
“We talked about the harm done to our soldiers by the regime forces and even by Russia.”
Ankara-Moscow relations had warmed substantially in recent years, despite backing opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. The two regional powers almost came to blows after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syria-Turkey border in 2016.
Assad’s advance into Idlib and HTS attacks on Russian and regime positions could undermine this bilateral relationship and shatter efforts to de-conflict the region.
