Turkish, US officials discuss de-escalation in Syria, refugee crisis

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and the US special envoy for Syria have discussed the latest developments in the region, according to an official statement.

Kalin received Joel D Rayburn and his delegation at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara on Wednesday.

The two officials discussed the Syrian crisis and the constitutional talks with particular focus on the restive city of Idlib, Turkey's presidential office said in a statement.

They also discussed counterterrorism efforts and the issue of refugees.

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Kalin affirmed Turkey's commitment to de-escalation in Syria despite continued ceasefire violations by the regime and its allies.

They agreed to intensify joint efforts to support the constitutional committee aiming to end civil war in Syria and paving the way for free and fair elections, along with ensuring the safe return of refugees.

Kalin underlined that any political, economic and military support to terrorist groups in Syria is unacceptable.

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Refugee crisis

A statement Kalin's office underlined Turkey’s role in the prevention of a new crisis, a refugee flow and stressed the need of support for preservation of the March 5 memorandum of understanding by the international community.

Russia and the regime forces launched operations to capture the whole area in May 2019 and seized many large settlement areas within the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Following the intensified attacks on the region on March 5, 2020 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin announced that they had reached a ceasefire agreement in Idlib between the opposition and regime forces.

Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar Al Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, over five million civilians have become homeless.

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