Erdogan called on Moscow and Tehran not to turn Idlib into a "bloody lake"

Baku / 07.08.18 / Turan: The Syrian province of Idlib cannot be given "in mercy" to the Syrian President, Bashar Assad, Ankara does not want this province to become a "bloody lake", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during the trilateral talks in Tehran. Erdogan also assured that "any attack on Idlib will lead to disaster, murders and a great human tragedy."

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry continues to strike militants in Idlib, claiming that the infrastructure of the terrorist group "Jabhat al-Nusra" became targets of the attack.

Earlier, the Turkish Anadolu agency, the Arabic edition of Al Masdar and the Syrian Human Rights Monitoring Center in London reported that the attacks are not aimed at terrorists, but on "detachments of the Syrian opposition".

Moscow, which positions itself as a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Syria and the main fighter against terrorism, cannot openly recognize Idlib as a zone of Turkey's influence, although it is interested in the development of Turkish-Syrian relations. Damascus, for its part, cannot tolerate the presence of a "Turkish enclave" on its territory, in addition, it needs to demonstrate independence in decision-making, observers say.

Earlier, Erdogan had already warned that there were about 3.5 million people in Idlib, and "if the missiles fly to this region, there will be serious bloodshed." He added that a large-scale offensive in this area will lead to a new wave of refugees arriving in Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about "a very serious conversation" with Putin about the situation in Idlib. According to her, she urged to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in this Syrian province.

US President Donald Trump warned that Russia and Iran could commit "a serious humanitarian error" in Syria if they allowed Assad's assault on Idlib, the last bulwark of the armed opposition. -02D-