The Russian-Turkish Idlib agreement is wobbling with Ankara’s warning its armed groups that the agreement should be accelerated … While Russia is preparing for the next step

“The agreement is breathes its last breath with the continuation of terrorist violations in Idlib and in northern Syria” according to Syrian military sources.

In a clear message about the future of the Turkish-Russian agreement on Idlib, Russia asked Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to visit Sochi as to remind him about the pressing issues that Turkey has not yet adhered yet.

For his part, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shaygo, who appeared frank in his conversation with his Turkish counterpart, said at the outset of the meeting: “We were forced to ask you to visit us because the situation in Syria requires us to make an immediate decision and discuss the current issues, the pace we reached after signing the documents in Sochi about Idlib, which is Require support and fast resolution regarding the remaining issues without reducing the pace”.

The visit of the Turkish Defense Minister to Russia at the request of his Russian counterpart to hold a meeting described the emergency, because the situation is no longer tolerable in the demilitarized zone in light of Turkey’s negligence in pressuring armed groups to implement the terms, especially the withdrawal of terrorist organizations with heavy weapons and insistence on repeating violations against the Syrian army, which tried to show maximum restraint.

Sources expected that the visit would result in the establishment of a short and specific timetable for the implementation of the “demilitarized zone” and start implementing it after the new round of the meeting “Astana” at the end of this month among the guarantors, which will discuss the issue of Turkish evasion of its entitlements regarding the region and the way it imposed If armed groups do not comply with the new timetable.

For its part, Syrian opposition sources close to the armed groups loyal to Turkey in the countryside Idlib and Aleppo said that the Turkish authorities informed their leaders that it’s not possible to procrastinate more in the implementation of the terms of the Sochi agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding the “demilitarized zone”.

The Syrian opposition sources said that, Turkish army officers met this week in an area close to the Turkish border in the northern Idlib countryside with most of the leaders of armed groups, including leaders representing organizations classified as terrorist, especially the Sham Liberation Organization, led by Abu Mohammad Al Julani, and demanded to stop targeting the Syrian army control areas, particularly within the demilitarized zone.

The Syrian opposition sources added that a difference of opinion occurred between the so-called “National Liberation Front”, the largest groups formed by Turkey in Idlib and Aleppo, and the “Sham Liberation Organization” on the priorities of the implementation the “demilitarized zone” of agreement terms, which calls for a timetable for commitment to implement it to meet the terms of Russia which is the second party in the agreement.

The Turkish side considers that it’s possible to move to the implementation of the item on the opening of the Aleppo routes to Hama and Latakia to transit traffic by the deadline, while the Russian side considers that it’s still too early to raise this issue in light of the disagreement on the withdrawal of armed groups from the region, especially the non Syrian armed wing called the “Al mouhajeren” wing, which is the hard-line party, in fear of this wing elements of facing new splits inside of it, as it happened with the group «Huras Al Din», «Ansar Al Din», «Ansar Al Islam» and «Ansar Al Tawhid» Which broke away from it and declared its allegiance to Al Qaeda.

Finally, sources indicated that Turkey wants to restore the spotlight to the “demilitarized zone” agreement with the visit of the Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the Turkish intelligence director Hakan Fidan to Russia and their meeting in Sochi with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Sheygo.