A ceasefire agreement in the Idlib seam zone, reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, entered into force as of 00:01 Thursday, Friday, Moscow time.
The two presidents also reached during the meeting that took place in the capital, Moscow, on Thursday, to implement joint patrols along the “M4” highway, which constitutes a strategic hub crossing the Idlib region in Syria, starting from March 15.
In a special event for “Sputnik”, Russian experts revealed whether these agreements would stabilize the situation in northern Syria.
Andrei Baklanov, a professor of international affairs at the High School of Economics, explained that President Erdogan’s position has changed because he received a harsh response in Idlib, and he was forced to sit at the negotiating table after the Syrian army confronted Turkish forces. This is what he did not expect and was not prepared for”.
He continued, “It is unfortunate that we were unable to persuade Erdogan to return his forces.
It uses the previous arrangements, which provide for oversight, but I think these agreements are temporary.
The time will come when Damascus will need to return its lands under its control.
After that, it will be necessary to judge the militants who have committed crimes.
Unfortunately, the negotiations in Moscow did not address this very complicated issue.
Professor Baklanov added: “In principle, we can describe Turkey’s behavior in Syria as aggression against a neighboring country.
I am sure that the presence of the Turkish army in Idlib is a temporary phenomenon.
This issue must be addressed by withdrawing all foreign forces from Syria so that the lands are under the control of the Syrian army”.
Will the agreement be respected?
Member of the Academy of Geopolitical Crisis,
In conclusion, the issue of the extent of the Turkish commitment to what was agreed upon at the Russian-Turkish summit in Moscow yesterday, Thursday: “In the past, Turkey did not voluntarily implement what was agreed upon, but rather tested the will of the Syrians, therefore Turkey now is facing different field facts implements by force, which is what has been agreed upon in the new Russian-Turkish agreement.
With that, Turkey must act in order to fight terrorist groups in Idlib, rather than offer them the support, which is the real threat to the people in Idlib.
