Turkey urges Russia to establish immediate cease-fire in rebel-held Idlib

A Turkish delegation urged its Russian counterparts to immediately establish a cease-fire in Idlib, during talks in Ankara on the situation in Syria.

Turkey told Russia a cease-fire should be immediately established as the two sides discussed steps that should be taken on the ground, according to diplomatic sources.

Turkey also highlighted the importance of implementing the 2018 Sochi deal, and emphasized a possible civilian disaster and a mass migration should be avoided.

The talks in the Foreign Ministry was led by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal. The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, according to diplomatic sources.

Idlib, near Turkey's southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib, and for the cease-fire to be followed, inviting the international community to take action.