Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned his country will “retaliate” if Syrian government forces “violate” the Idlib ceasefire deal
Speaking with Turkey’s Anadolu news agency on Tuesday, the foreign minister said the ceasefire would help protect civilians in the militant-controlled Syrian province.
Commenting on the details of the Russia-brokered ceasefire in Idlib, Cavusoglu said that under its terms, the Turkish military would patrol north of the security corridor along the strategic M4 highway, with Russian forces patrolling its southern side.
Cavusoglu also commented on the Turkish request for the deployment of US Patriot missile systems along the country’s southern borders. According to the foreign minster, Turkey’s possession of Russian-made S-400 missile systems were ‘not an obstacle’ to the deployment of the US systems.
On Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that he had asked Turkey’s NATO allies for “additional…assistance on Syria – for the defense of the border, and in connection with the migration challenge.”
President Trump revealed March 1 that he had been speaking with his Turkish counterpart about Ankara’s request for Patriot missile systems amid the situation in Idlib. Last Tuesday, US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield said these discussions were still ongoing.
Also in his interview Tuesday, Cavusoglu said the US has already provided Turkey with land, sea and air intelligence on Idlib.
Source: Sputnik
