20 September 2018•Update: 20 September 2018
By Adel al-Thabeti
TUNIS
The Tunisian Ennahda movement on Thursday praised the efforts of Turkish and Russian presidents to reach an agreement on the Syrian northwestern region of Idlib.
A statement released by the movement's executive office said, "we appreciate the great efforts of the Russian and Turkish presidents to reach an agreement that would protect the Syrian Idlib and hundreds of thousands of civilians there."
The Ennahda reiterated "its call to all Syrian parties to agree on a national ground and to embrace dialogue and negotiations as a single way to resolve differences," the statement added.
On Monday, Turkey and Russia agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Syria’s last opposition stronghold, following a meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
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.
According to the MoU, 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.
