Negotiations with the Russian military delegation on northwestern Syria’s Idlib continue in a positive and constructive atmosphere, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Friday.
In a statement, the ministry said ongoing talks with Russian officials will be completed by the end of Friday.
The statement also noted that troops at Turkish observation points continue to carry out their duties.
“It is out of the question to withdraw heavy weapons from these areas,” the ministry said.
The Turkey-Russia talks on Idlib started on Tuesday.
Currently, Turkish soldiers are stationed in the region to protect the local population and moderate opposition groups. Still, despite the military escalation, Ankara has also been putting forth efforts to keep diplomatic channels active with Russia in the hope of finding a political solution, urging the country to uphold the latest cease-fire.
An offensive by the Bashar Assad regime, backed by Russian airpower, against the last stronghold of opposition groups has drawn strong warnings from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Approximately 541,000 civilians have been displaced from settlements in Idlib's southern and southeastern and Aleppo's western and southern rural areas since November 2019.
Turkey remains the country with the most migrants in the world, hosting more than 3.7 million since the start of the Syrian civil war.
