Erdogan Gives Syrian Authorities One Month Deadline

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has given the Syrian authorities a one-month deadline to pull back government forces from Turkish observation posts in Syria's Idlib province. Erdogan emphasized that if the Syrian government does not withdraw during February, Turkey will be compelled to take action personally, according to ermenihaber.

Erdogan justified his statement by referencing the provisions of the Adana Agreement, which was signed between Turkey and Syria in 1998. He stated that the agreement grants Turkey the right to maintain a presence in these areas (northern Syria) to protect its borders from terrorist threats.

The Turkish president remarked that Turkey has neither the desire nor the objective to confront any of its allies, friends, or other countries. Referring to Turkey's expectations from Russia, Erdogan stated, “We expect Russia to better understand our concerns in Syria.”

It is worth noting that, following agreements reached with Iran and Russia regarding Idlib, Turkey has established 12 observation posts there. The escalation of the situation in Idlib is connected to the recent advances by Syrian government forces. Additionally, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, intense shelling conducted by Syrian government forces on February 3 in Idlib resulted in the deaths of 7 Turkish soldiers and 1 civilian.