Stating that relentless air strikes and ground attacks are continuing under the pretext of fighting terrorism, Sinirlioğlu said the mass murderers in Damascus have now killed more than 1,700 civilians since May 2019.

Such actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, he underlined.

He noted that the Government of Turkey is cooperating with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to increase the capacity of the cross‑border humanitarian mechanism and with Germany to alleviate shelter needs in Idlib.  As President Erdoğan announced last week, Turkey will hit all targets that pose an immediate threat.

"We will not withdraw our forces and will not abandon our observation posts," he said, adding that it is the Syrian regime that should withdraw from its current positions.  A lasting ceasefire is the only option to end the biggest humanitarian horror story of the twenty-first century, he said, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, full implementation of the Sochi Memorandum on Idlib, and a return to the status quo ante.  Turkey’s Government will continue its contacts with the Russian Federation to ensure that the Syrian regime acts in compliance with existing frameworks on Idlib, he stressed. (ILKHA)