A Syrian helicopter has been shot down in Idlib. While Russia blames Turkey for the escalation in the embattled region, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg calls on the Assad regime and Russia to stop the attacks.
Russia and NATO have spoken out at the same time as the fighting in Idlib, between Turkey with jihadists and the Russian-backed Syrian regime forces. While Russia blames Turkey, NATO blames Russia.
Kremlin demands cessation of “terrorist attacks"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for an end to "all forms of terrorist attacks on the Syrian army and Russian military forces in Idlib". Expressing concern about the situation in Idlib, the Kremlin spokesman said: "We have not concealed our concern about the relaxed movements of terrorists in the de-escalation zone for a long time. More importantly, these groups are carrying out attacks on Syrian troops and Russian bases."
The responsibility for improving the situation in Idlib lays with Turkey, he said, and recalled that this issue had been laid down in the Sochi Agreement. Remarking that there was no room for interpretation, he said that a meeting between Putin and Erdoğan was currently not on the agenda.
NATO supports Turkey
On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged the Assad regime and Russia to stop their attacks on Idlib at a press conference ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. The NATO summit on Wednesday and Thursday will also discuss the fight against the ISIS.
Syrian helicopter shot down
Meanwhile, a Syrian helicopter has been shot down in the vicinity of the Qaminas village near Saraqeb town of Idlib before the NATO meeting. The two pilots were reported killed by jihadists.
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