'Turkey has fulfilled responsibilities in Syria's Idlib in line with agreements'

Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib in line with the agreements it made with Russia and Iran, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Saturday, after violence spiked in recent weeks.

Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the conflict, and agreed in 2018 to set up a de-escalation zone in the region. A Syrian regime offensive disrupted Ankara and Moscow's fragile cooperation, after 13 Turkish soldiers were martyred in the past two weeks.

Oktay told broadcaster NTV that Turkey was determined to stop the Syrian regime advances in Idlib, repeating a threat that Ankara would use military power to push back Syrian forces if they did not withdraw by the end of February. He said Turkey had conveyed its position on Idlib to Russia during the talks.