Putin: Terrorists in Syria’s Idlib Preparing Fake Gas Attack

Most of Syria’s Idlib De-Escalation Zone Still Controlled by Militants – Moscow
The situation in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, the last major terrorist stronghold, is expected to be one of the key topics at the summit. According to the Kremlin, the insurgent hotbed in Idlib destabilizes the situation in Syria and undermines work toward a political settlement of the conflict.Russian officials, moreover, have repeatedly warned that terrorists were planning a false-flag chemical weapons attack in Idlib with the aim of provoking Western retaliation against the Syrian government.Iranian President on the Situation in SyriaAddressing the issue, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the civilian population in Idlib should not suffer during counter-terrorism operations.

“Fighting terrorism in Idlib is an integral part of the mission of establishing peace and stability in Syria, and civilians should not suffer from this fight,” Rouhani said at the  summit.

“The only goal in Syria and the region can only be peace, but to achieve sustainable peace, a serious fight against terrorism is inevitable,” the president added.

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He also urged Israel to leave “the occupied Syrian territories,” and criticized the US presence in the country.

“It is absolutely clear that the United States is present in Syria illegally and is only fueling aggression and supporting terrorist regime [there]. And its positive role in the Syrian process can hardly be expected. [The US] presence only exacerbates problems, and hampers the achievement of sustainable peace in Syria,” Iranian president emphasized.

Turkey on Syrian Issue

Turkish President President Tayyip Erdogan said, in turn, that Ankara is “extremely annoyed” by the United States’ support of Kurdish YPG in Syria.

Addressing the situation, he confirmed that Ankara would continue its military operation in Syria until the country reached integrity, also adding that Turkey would not tolerate any threats to its territory emerging from Syria.

“Turkey is decisively determined to maintain its presence in the region until Syria’s territorial, political and social integrity is ensured,” the Turkish President said ahead of the summit.

He also noted that it is possible to relocate militants, who attack the Russian Hmeymim airbase, from Idlib to other areas.

“We believe that we can try to remove these elements, which bother our Russian friends and pose a threat to Hmeymim, to more remote places,” Erdogan said at the summit.

He proposed declaring a ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, stopping attacks on this province.

“As for the bombings, I think it will be useful to declare a truce, because the population of Idlib is seriously suffering, the bombing is a threat to [the civilian population]… On the one hand, a ceasefire, and on the other — measures that should be applied to terrorists. I believe that our relevant bodies will hold meetings to ensure an appropriate ceasefire,” Erdogan suggested.

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The Turkish head of state stressed that the situation in this province of Syria, which is important for the security of Turkey, had reached a dangerous point.

“Many of our soldiers were killed. We put a lot of effort, but despite this, the situation [in Idlib] is exposed to various risks. Idlib is considered not only geopolitically [important] for the future of Syria, but also for the security of our country,” he said.

Erdogan also warned that operation of the Syrian army in the region could lead to a humanitarian disaster, adding that his country was no longer able to receive refugees from Syria.

The Turkish President concluded by saying that the next trilateral meeting would probably be held in Russia.