Russian Defense Ministry: The Turkish regime violates the Sochi Agreement and continues to support and arm terrorist organizations in Idlib

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Turkish regime violates international law and the Sochi Agreement reached with the Russian side, adding that it continues to support and arm terrorist organizations in Idlib.

The Defense Ministry  pointed out to the falsehood of Western allegations and accusations against the Syrian government.

Sputnik news agency quoted the ministry’s spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, as saying in a statement today that the Western countries and the United Nations did not care at all about the grave violations of the 2018 Sochi Memorandum on Idlib committed by Turkey and the terrorist groups present there, such as the  increasing bombardment  of the Syrian neighboring regions and the Russian Hmeimim base and strengthening the control of the terrorists on  the area.

The statement pointed out that the reaction of the West regarding the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Idlib appeared just after the Syrian army was forced to launch a military operation in response to a new attack by the terrorists in the beginning of last February, as it was able to implement what was stipulated in the Sochi Agreement.

The statement noted that the Syrian army’s military operations also ensured the movement of more than 100,000 civilians along the M5 highway between the largest Syrian cities in Aleppo and Hama and protected the surrounding residential areas from attacks.

“From that moment onwards, the Western countries and the United Nations representatives have accused the Syrian government and talked about the influx of large numbers of refugees in Idlib and at the same time photographs for an old camp near the Syrian-Turkish border were published as an evidence of this”, the statement pointed out.

The statement stressed that no one in the West care about the actions of the Turkish regime, which transferred to Idlib a striking military force as a violation of international law.  The statement added that  Europe and the United States describe the actions of the Turkish regime as ” a legitimate right to self-defense”.  So, in light of the insolence and false concern shown by the West regarding the humanitarian situation in the de-escalation region in Idlib, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria and the legitimate Syrian government are the only two bodies that will deliver daily all necessary assistance to the residents of the liberated areas.

The statement pointed out that all official Russian requests to the United Nations and Western countries that provide aid across the Turkish border and its question about the delivery of  this aid to the terrorists not to the affected people, remained unanswered.

The spokesman for the Russian presidency, Demitry Peskov, said in a statement on Tuesday that Russia remains committed to the Sochi agreements and supports the territorial integrity of Syria, as well as Syria in its ongoing war against terrorist organizations, including those listed on the UN Security Council list.

Inas Abdulkareem