Turkey says demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib formed, heavy weapons withdrawn

The demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib has been formed and all heavy weapons have been withdrawn, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a written, the ministry said Turkey has realized its responsibilities as a guarantor country of the recently signed Sochi agreement.

"Our activities in Idlib as part of the agreement are continuing without slowing down in order to secure sustainable and permanent peace," the statement added.

The agreement dictated that heavy weapons, tanks, rocket systems and mortars of all opposition groups would be withdrawn by Oct. 10, and the zone will be monitored by coordinated Turkish and Russian patrols.

Following a meeting in Sochi last month between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two countries agreed to establish the Idlib demilitarized zone.

Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing renewed fighting.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.