Sergey Lavrov. Image: Pavel Golovkin/AP
The Russian military and its partners will prepare a plan to deal with terrorists in the governorate of Idlib, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on February 16.
“We cannot tolerate forever this hotbed of terrorism but how to resolve this problem … it’s up to the military to design a plan in accordance with the international humanitarian law requirements,” Lavrov said at the Munich Security Conference, according to Pakistan Point.
The minister went on to reveal that Russia and Turkey had reached a new agreement, which should allow Russia and Turkish forces to conduct joint patrols within the demilitarized zone around Idlib.
“[On February 14, the agreement was reached by Russia, Iran and Turkey that] the military of Russian and Turkey, with the consent of the Syrian government, would try to establish a step-by-step approach, making several areas of joint patrol inside the [Idlib] zone of de-escalation,” Lavrov added.
A day earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the new Russian-Turkish agreements on Idlib do not include a military operation. However, a recent report by Sputnik said that the Syrian army is preparing to launch a limited operation within the demilitarized zone.
Lavrov’s remarks cast more doubts on the fate of Idlib, where several terrorist groups are thriving. These groups will not likely allow the Russian military to patrol its areas, which mean that the new Russian-Turkish agreement will not be fulfilled, just like the previous ones.
