Putin Announces Creation of Buffer Zone Between Rebel Positions and Syrian Army in Idlib

On Monday, September 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the establishment of a civilian buffer zone between the Syrian army and the rebels in the Idlib region, with implementation set for October 15. Putin made this announcement following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He stated that Turkish forces and Russian military police would patrol around this buffer line. Idlib is the last stronghold of Syrian rebels, and there are concerns that a large-scale attack by Syrian government forces on this area could result in heavy casualties and damage. Turkey opposes such an attack. The Russian President indicated that the area of this civilian buffer zone would be between 15 to 20 kilometers. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also announced that the Idlib province would not witness military operations. He added that Moscow would coordinate the details with the Syrian government in the coming hours. Erdogan stated that this agreement would allow the supporters of the opposition (to Assad) to remain wherever they are and prevent a humanitarian crisis. Russia, along with Iran, is the largest supporter of Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria and was preparing for a large-scale attack on the city of Idlib, which is under rebel control and has a population of three million. The meeting between Putin and Erdogan took place in the Russian port city of Sochi. This was the second meeting between the two leaders in the past ten days, with the previous one occurring in Tehran and attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. However, despite the close positions of Tehran and Moscow regarding the Idlib crisis, Iran was not invited to the Sochi meeting. While Turkey had called for a ceasefire in this region during the Tehran meeting, Iran and Russia opposed it. However, the agreement on Monday indicates that Russia has retreated from its previous positions. Iran's stance on the Russia-Turkey agreement remains unclear. Idlib, located in northwestern Syria, has long been a focus for Turkey, which has sought to prevent a heavy assault by Bashar al-Assad's government and its allies on rebel positions. Meanwhile, Russia has stated that Idlib is a nest of terrorism and that the Syrian government has the right to take control of it.