Turkey's MHP leader praises Idlib deal with Russia

ANKARA

The Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Sept. 22 praised the deal reached between Russia and Turkey over Syria's Idlib.

The MHP entered in an alliance with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the last general election.

"The decisions taken at the National Security Council, which convened on Sept. 20, are completely valid, accurate and has our full support," said Bahçeli during his party's women's branch meeting in Ankara.

The National Security Council declaration, published Sept. 20, underlined the importance of the Turkey-Russia agreement aimed at preventing a military escalation in Idlib.

Bahçeli also stressed that Turkey should not meet with Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad and described such a move as "treason" and "carelessness".

On Sept. 17, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in Sochi to establish a disarmament zone in Syria’s Idlib province.

Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled to other cities following attacks by Assad regime forces.

Last month, the regime announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.

But, the UN warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".