Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said Syrian government forces need to halt attacks in northwestern Syria, Al-Masdar reported citing Anadolu Agency.
The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian Air Force, launched ground operations this week at the southern flank of the militant-held demilitarized zone, which consists of Hama and parts of adjacent provinces.
Akar said the Syrian forces should return to territories agreed in an international deal in Kazakhstan to reduce hostilities and casualties.
“Humanitarian problems grow each day and it is increasingly showing a tendency to turn into a catastrophe,” he said.
Akar also said the attacks pose a threat to the security of Turkey’s observation posts in the northwest, where Turkey carries out patrols.
We expect Russia to take effective and determined measures to make Syrian forces stop their attacks on the south of Idlib and immediately return to the borders set by the Astana agreement,” Akar said, referring to the Kazakh capital.
