The Syrian Coalition urged Turkey, as a guarantor of the “de-escalation zones” agreement to step up efforts to stop attacks by the Russian and Iranian forces on Syrian civilians in Deir Ezzor, rural Aleppo, eastern Ghouta and western Ghouta in the Damascus suburbs.
The remarks were made at a meeting between the Coalition’s political committee and a delegation from the Turkish foreign ministry which included Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister Sedat Ünal and the Turkish official in charge of the Syrian file Ayşe Can Karabetri.
The Turkish delegation pointed out that Turkey seeks to ensure protection for Syrian civilians, release detainees, lift the sieges, and maintain calm in Idlib through the upcoming Astana meeting.
The delegation reaffirmed Turkey’s full support for the Coalition and the opposition High Negotiations Committee in the upcoming round of talks in Geneva. It stressed the importance the opposition uniting behind the guiding principles of the revolution that would help reach a full political transition in Syria.
The Turkish delegation also stressed the importance of cooperation between Turkey and the Coalition and its institutions, especially the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) inside the Syrian territory. It pointed out that Turkey’s role in Idlib is to establish military points to monitor the “de-escalation zones” agreement as it stressed the importance of cooperation with the Coalition and the Free Syrian Army.
For its part, the Coalition’s political committee underscored the importance of the transfer of the management of the border crossings to SIG as a key step to strengthen the government’s supervision of the sovereign files in the liberated areas. The committee called on Turkey to intervene to ensure an end to bombing of civilians by Russia and Assad’s allied militias and the release of detainees in the prisons of the Assad regime.
The committee stressed that the Coalition continues to implement the necessary reforms to activate the work of its departments and institutions and to enhance its presence inside Syria. The committee previously held a meeting inside Syria and seeks to hold further similar meetings to reach out to local bodies and councils and offer services to the civilian population in the liberated areas. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
