Russia and Syria are currently concerned over the current situation in Idlib's governorate, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday afternoon.
“Agreements with Turkey on Idlib have not been implemented in full,” Peskov claimed, adding that the “situation there still causes concern for Damascus and Moscow.
Moscow and Ankara tried to establish a de-escalation zone in Idlib, within an agreement that included the whole of Syria, under the auspices of Russia, Turkey and Iran, in the Astana talks in 2017, as the guarantors of the cease-fire in Syria.
“Turkey has assured us this situation is still in its spotlight,” he added.
Last week, Moscow said that the situation in the last rebel-held enclave was rapidly deteriorating and al-Nusra Front almost took control of the whole area. Kremlin considered that any Turkish operations within Syrian territory according to the 1998 Adana agreement, must not lead to the formation of separatists entities on the border area, and must not violate Syria’s unity.
Russian news agency Interfax quoted Peskov as saying that any Turkish military operations within Syrian territory must strictly maintain the integrity and unity of the national territory in Syria.
The Adana agreement was signed by Syria and Turkey on October 20, 1998, and aimed to restore bilateral relations, allowing Turkey to perform operations against terrorists on the border.
"The main thing is that these operations do not in any way lead to the formation of any semi-autonomous regional entities in the border areas, and thus not threaten the territorial and political integrity of Syria," he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan justifies his troops' interference in Syria by relying solely on the Adana Agreement and stresses the need for this agreement to be discussed again. Russia responds by reminding the Turkish president that all his steps must be coordinated with the Syrian legitimate government.
In another context, the air defense system of the Hmeimim base dealt with hostile targets near the base in the skies of Latakia and Jablah.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported several explosions in Jablah, Lattakia province. A number of sources confirmed that the explosions were caused by the air defenses targeting unidentified bodies in the airspace of Hmeimim Military Airport, the largest military base in Syria.
The air defenses in the vicinity of Hmeimim downed all hostile targets, according to a military source.
A source told Sputnik news agency that the sounds of explosions were heard in the town of Latakia resulted from intercepting aircraft approaching the Hmeimim base.
The source explained that the aircraft were modified, pointing out that the surveillance units monitored their launch from the area between north-eastern Latakia countryside and Jisr al-Shughour village in the south-western Idlib.
