Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday that he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu had agreed to prevent ceasefire violations by the Syrian regime in Idlib’s de-escalation zone.
"We have agreed to take measures to maintain the ceasefire," Akar told reporters about the phone conversation with Shoigu.
The two ministers agreed that the ceasefire must be respected to support "opening the road to peace and stability."
Speaking to reporters, Akar described the phone call with his Russian counterpart as "very constructive."
"We aim permanently to hold the ceasefire in the region."
Earlier this week, Turkey called on Russia to put an end to the regime attacks on Idlib, after the Assad forces carried last Sunday several rocket attacks on the Atareb hospital in Syria’s northwestern province.
Meanwhile, angry residents in Idlib staged Thursday a vigil against the Russian-Turkish agreement to open crossings with the Syrian regime-held areas. The protesters carried placards demanding the overthrow of the regime and the implementation of UN resolution 2254.
Last Sunday, several rockets also targeted Al-Saliheen and Al-Ferdaws neighborhoods in the eastern part of the regime-controlled city of Aleppo, killing two persons and injuring 17 others.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the source of this rocket fire remained unknown.
However, Syrian authorities blamed the attacks on pro-Turkish Syrian opposition forces positioned west Aleppo and in Idlib.
