Turkey's presidential spokesman, US envoy discuss Syria

Turkey’s presidential spokesman and the U.S. special envoy for Syria discussed the latest developments in northwestern Syria on Wednesday.

Ibrahim Kalin and James Jeffrey met in the Turkish capital Ankara over the latest situation and developments in the region.

Targeting Turkish army's observation posts by Assad regime in Idlib is unacceptable, Kalin and Jeffrey stressed.

During the meeting, Turkey's determination on protecting Turkish soldiers and civilians as part of Idlib deal was strongly highlighted.

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

The Turkish troops are in Idlib -- 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 where 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.

* Writing by Burak Bir.