Turkish foreign minister calls on Russia, Iran to stop regime attacks in Syria’s Ghouta
ANKARA
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on Russia and Iran to stop the Syrian government’s attacks in Eastern Ghouta.
“Air raids on Ghouta are unacceptable. Russia and Iran should stop the regime,” Çavuşoğlu said, while responding to journalists’ questions in Ankara on Feb. 23.
The foreign minister said an offensive by pro-government forces in the northern Syrian province of Idlib also violated an agreement between Turkey, Iran and Russia.
A fresh wave of bombs struck Syria’s eastern Ghouta on Feb. 23, according to witnesses, ahead of a U.N. Security Council vote to demand a 30-day ceasefire across the country.
For a sixth straight day, warplanes have pounded the densely populated agricultural pocket east of the capital, the last rebel bastion near Damascus.
The recent escalation has killed at least 426 people and injured hundreds more, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says. Among the dead are at least 98 children.
