Russia Hosts Turkey and Iran for Talks on Syria Peace Agreement
Russia tells Turkey they cannot create a safe zone in Syria without consent from Assad despite having brokered a deal in December to create a demilitarized zone in the northwest Idlib region
Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting the leaders of Turkey and Iran for talks about a Syria peace settlement as expectations mount for an imminent and final defeat of the Islamic State group.
During the summit Russia told Turkey it had no right to create a "safe zone" inside Syria unless it sought and received the consent of President Bashar Assad, signalling tensions as a three-way summit on the Syrian conflict began.
But, speaking ahead of the start of the Sochi summit on Syria, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Ankara would need Assad's green light to create any safe zone inside Syrian borders.
Russia, a key backer of Assad, is getting increasingly impatient about militants in Syria's Idlib province.
Russia and Turkey, which supports the Syrian opposition, had brokered a cease-fire for Idlib, the last remaining rebel stronghold that averted a major government offensive but that deal has been strained as al-Qaida-linked militants seized towns and villages in Idlib.
- U.S. Backed Forces Strike ISIS Command Center in Syria
- Syria Reports Israeli Attacks Near Southern Border
- Russia, Turkey Agree on Decisive Action in Syria's Idlib
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia is going to raise its concerns at the talks about the presence of "terrorists" there.
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