Turkey & Russia discussing ‘secure zone’ in Idlib, Syria – Ankara

Turkey and Russia are discussing the establishment of a ‘secure zone’ within Syria’s northwestern Idlib region where Syrians displaced by fighting can shelter during the winter, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

“Our Idlib friends who have become refugees don’t want to go to a government-controlled area,” he added.

Ankara is reinforcing an observation post which has been “surrounded by Syrian forces,” Akar told reporters on Wednesday.

His comments came after Turkish and Syrian intelligence chiefs met in Moscow on Monday – their first publicly acknowledged meeting for years – and discussed the situation in Idlib, Reuters reported.