Turkish president to discuss Syria's Idlib, Dara'a with Russia's Putin

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin ways to protect Syrians from a potential attack on Syria's Idlib and Dara'a provinces.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday, Erdogan said the situation in Idlib and Dara’a was troublesome.

"We will be discussing Dara'a (with Russia), which is one of the most problematic issues of all. There is also the issue of Idlib, which we will discuss because in these places anything can happen at any time," the Turkish president said.

"What we want is that Syrian people would be protected from these attacks and particularly the brutal attacks of some organizations in the region," Erdogan said.

The Turkish president has already raised the issue of Idlib with Putin in a telephone conversation in mid-July, saying an attack by the Syrian army there could destroy the Astana peace process.

As part of the Astana format, four de-escalation zones have been established across Syria amid ongoing political efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Arab country.

Turkey, Iran and Russia are the guarantors of a countrywide ceasefire in Syria. The three have been mediating a peace process since January 2016 among Syria’s warring sides in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Turkey has set up a series of observation posts in Idlib as part of the deal to reduce fighting between militants and the Syrian government in de-escalation zones.

SS