Russian Ambassador to Damascus Alexander Efimov in an interview for RIA Novosti said that Moscow is counting on Ankara's actions to separate the moderate armed opposition from terrorist groups in Idlib, Syria, for the subsequent neutralization of the latter.
"In this regard, we hope that the Turkish partners will continue their efforts to separate the moderates from the terrorists and take measures to neutralize the latter, and the next attempts to "rebrand" the Idlib radicals will not prevent this. Changing the names does not mean changing their terrorist nature," the diplomat said.
Efimov recalled that the Russian-Turkish agreements helped overcome a dangerous surge in tension in the Idlib de-escalation zone but they do not cancel the need to continue the fight against terrorism and return the territory to the sovereignty of Damascus as soon as possible.
A difficult situation now persists in the area of the M-4 highway, where illegal armed groups prevent joint Russian-Turkish patrols in the "security corridor", blow up bridges, arrange blockages, remove the road surface.
"How can we talk about fighting the coronavirus epidemic, providing for other humanitarian needs of the population of the province, if even the Syrian Red Crescent, which is directly related to these problems, is being repressed," the diplomat said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria / TASS