Shelling of Latakia by the terrorists

1 Syria

The head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, Rear-Admiral Oleg Zhuravlev, stated that over the past 24 hours, the Russian military police provided security for 13 Turkish convoys, heading to the Turkish observation posts, located in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Oleg Zhuravlev added that «There were no attacks by the illegal armed groups, controlled by Ankara». He specified that two cases of the terrorist shelling were recorded in the settlements of Ain-en-Nuir and Tanjara, in the province of Latakia. The shelling came from the positions of the terrorist group »Islamic Party of Turkestan» and »Jebhat al-Nusra» — the groups are not controlled by Turkey.

2 Turkey — Syria

After his meeting with the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey has requested an additional NATO assistance in Syria — both to protect the borders, and due to the migration challenges. The statement was made before Erdogan’s meeting with the head of the European Council and the European Commission in Brussels — those negotiations will discuss the role of Turkey in trying to exert the migration pressure on Europe. The US State Department press service stated that on 10th of March the US Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, will arrive in Brussels. He will discuss the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib, and the possibility of supporting Turkey with the NATO allies.

3 Japan — Syria

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that their government will provide humanitarian aid to Syria in the amount of $4.75 millions of dollars due to the situation in the north-west of country, in the Idlib province. The aid will include food, blankets, tents, and some financial support to protect the most vulnerable groups of locals. The aid will be provided via the Office of the UN High Commissioner for the Refugees, and the World Food Program. The Japanese government estimates that the aid will reach more than 100,000 people.

4 Turkey

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a summit on the migration problem, with the participation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President Emmanuel Macron, is planned for 17th of March, in Istanbul. This was stated by the Turkish president when he returned from a visit to Brussels. “If Johnson can come as well — it will be a 4-way meeting. If not — then it’ll be a 3-way meeting. We will discuss this topic comprehensively at the meeting.” — the ‘Sabah’ newspaper quotes Erdogan. The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, stated that the EU hasn’t fulfilled their obligations to Ankara within the framework of the migration agreement, which was concluded in March of 2016, and now it should be revised.

5 Turkey — Russia

The Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced that he proposed to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to jointly use the Syrian oil fields in order to help the Syrian economy. “With the help of the oil obtained from here — we will make a contracting company. If you are willing to financially support this idea — let’s raise the destroyed Syria back on their feet” — Erdogan said. According to him, Ankara can make the same proposal to Washington. The Turkish President also mentioned the compliance with the ceasefire in the Syrian Idlib. “I want the truce to go on, and become permanent» — the ‘Sabah’ newspaper quoted Erdogan.

6 Turkey — Russia

«The US position on the Turkish purchase of the Russian-made S-400 AA missile systems has significantly softened» — said the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Fragments of an interview with the Turkish president were published on Tuesday by the CNN Turk. The USA asked for guarantees from Turkey that the S-400 air defense systems won’t be put into operation. Erdogan reminded that Turkey has expressed a desire to buy the ‘Patriot’ air defense systems from the USA. Earlier on 6th of March Erdogan announced that the deployment of the Russian S-400 in Turkey will begin in April of this year.

Constantine Reztsov, specially for ANNA NEWS.