Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said there had been no violations of the ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, as part of the agreement with Russia, the defense ministry said on Saturday.
The ceasefire was reached in Moscow after talks to contain the conflict which has displaced nearly a million people in three months.
Turkey will use self-defense rights if there is any attack targeting its forces or bases in the region, Akar said.
“We will continue to be a deterrent force to prevent any violation to the ceasefire. None occurred since ceasefire entered into force,” he stressed.
The deal called for joint patrols of Turkish and Russian forces around M4 road in Idlib region starting on March 15.
Turkey has started to work on the procedures and principles of the safety corridor around the road, according to Akar.
A Russian military delegation will visit Ankara next week to discuss steps to take, Reuters reported.
Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed.
For his part, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that he was satisfied with the ceasefire deal.
In a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, “President Assad… expressed his satisfaction with what the Russian leadership had achieved during the meeting with the Turkish president in Moscow," the presidency said, AFP reported.
