US stands by NATO ally Turkey: Special envoy for Syria

ANKARA

The U.S. stands with its NATO ally Turkey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria said on Wednesday over the latest developments in Syria, according to diplomatic sources.

James Jeffrey arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to meet Turkish officials and re-evaluate the recent developments in the region.

During his meeting with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, Jeffrey also extended condolences for the Turkish troops martyred by the regime attacks in Idlib on Monday, following a similar attack last week martyring seven soldiers and a civilian contractor working with the Turkish military.

Onal, for his part, stressed the importance of implementing Astana and Sochi deals in the region.

The parties evaluated the humanitarian crisis and the latest developments in Idlib and they highlighted that international communities should play an active role.

The Turkish troops are in Idlib -- nominally a cease-fire zone, under a deal between Turkey and Russia -- as part of an anti-terror and peace mission.

Idlib has been a stronghold of the opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

But more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12.