Turkey warns of possible escalation in Syria’s Idlib

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey on July 19 condemned the Bashar al-Assad regime’s attacks in the southwestern Syrian cities of Daraa and Quneitra.

In a news conference, Turkish Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Hami Aksoy recalled the civilian deaths in Daraa and Quneitra, saying: “We strongly condemn and damn these attacks. These attacks sabotage the Astana and Geneva efforts on reducing violence and finding a political solution to the crisis.”

“We do not want the scenario experienced in Eastern Ghouta, northern Homs and now in southwestern Syria to also be experienced in Idlib,” he added.

Aksoy also recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on July 14, saying if the regime advances toward Idlib, the Astana agreement would dissipate. 

He stressed that the regime was trying to find a solution to the crisis via military means and said such ways would not lead to “legitimate ruling.” 

Syria has been in unbridled conflict since 2011, when Assad’s bloody crackdown on uprisings morphed into a civil war.   
Following peace talks held last year in Astana, both Daraa and Quneitra were designated as “de-escalation zones” where acts of aggression are prohibited.