“Halting Assad’s offensive in Idlib” is Erdoğan’s condition to attend Sochi conference

By: Baher Abdel Azim

The Turkish regime, led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who belonged to the terrorist group Muslims brotherhood, has used to use the pragmatic approach, as Ankara has linked between the success of Sochi Conference, scheduled for the end of this month, and halting Damascus offensive on the Syrian opposition-held Idlib and Ghouta.

Ankara is backing the opposition forces in Idlib that has become a focal point of the Syrian war after Aleppo liberation from the terrorists. “Al-Assad is seeking to assemble all the rebels-forces in one place in Syria, “Idlib” so as to facilitate salvation from them” sources said.

“Erdoğan asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, to pressure his ally, Bashar al-Assad, to halt his military offensive in Idlib and the eastern Ghouta in order to ensure the success of Sochi Conference, scheduled for January 29 and 30 and the Astana talks”, according to sources in the Turkish presidency.

Following Putin’s telephone call with Erdogan, the Kremlin confirmed that “the Russian and Turkish military and intelligence services would strengthen coordination of their efforts to effectively combat terrorist groups in Syria. The Turkish Prime Minister Ben Ali Yildirim warned yesterday that the escalating military campaign in Idlib will cause a new wave of displacement, which means Turkey is trying to blackmail with the file of the displaced persons.

Yildirim called on Iran and Russia to warn the Syrian authorities of these attacks. “The attacks would only undermine the peace process in Syria” he added to the reporters.

The Russian army confirmed that the aircraft that targeted its air and naval bases in Hameim and Tartous on 5-6 January, it set off from Idlib, which borders Turkey.

Which means that the Syrian province, which has become the meeting point of the terrorist groups, is now the greatest threat to Russia, which played a prominent role in supporting Al-Assad.

Putin expressed his conviction that Ankara had nothing to do with the unprecedented attack, adding that he had spoken in this issue with Erdogan.

Putin described the attack as a provocation aimed at undermining the agreements between Moscow, Ankara and Tehran and destroying Moscow’s relations with Iran and Turkey, stressing that he will continue to strengthen the partnership with Turkey, especially with a view to holding a Syrian national dialogue conference in Sochi.

Earlier, Major General Alexander Novikov confirmed that the Ministry of Defense was investigating to find out which country produced the explosives used in the attacks because there are number of countries manufactured it, including Ukraine, denied that UAVs of such quality were designed improvised, adding that they were produced and used by Experts trained specifically in countries where the aircraft production complexes are used.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed that it killed the air base attackers on December 31, saying it destroyed a stockpile of drone aircraft in Idlib province used to attack the Russian military bases last week.

In Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad discussed Putin’s Special Envoy Alexander Lavrentyev about the preparations for the Sochi Conference, as well as growing bilateral cooperation in many areas, particularly the ongoing war against terrorism, as well as the Astana talks.

The Syrian presidency pointed out that it was agreed on the importance of good preparation for the conference in order to ensure that it will produce results that meet the aspirations of the Syrian people to protect their country and restore security and stability.

According to the presidential statement, Assad stressed that the victories of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, with cooperation with Russia and other allies, in the eradication of terrorism have been a decisive factor in thwarting the hegemony and division schemes developed by the West and its agents for Syria and the region.

In an interview with Novosti agency, the member of the unified negotiating body of the opposition Basma Qaddmani announced that the body has not yet held consultations with Russia on the Sochi and did not get detailed information on the wording and agenda and objectives, stressing that its role lies in consultations and reveal what is the shape of the next conference.

Although,  Ibrahim al-Hassan, the head of the Committee for Reconstruction in Civil Council, was faced an assassination attempt in his village in the northern countryside, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova accused the Western media and political circles of conspiring against Raqqa through silence about the real situation there, to adopted Washington’s actions.