Idlib

Russia on May 8 marked Turkey's efforts in Syria's Idlib province with an aim to free the key M4 highway from radical groups.

Speaking at a video conference in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the sustainable stabilization in the area is only possible after separating militants from terrorists.

Turkish and Russian forces have carried out their ninth joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said on May 7.

"Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 9th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements," the ministry said in a tweet.

Top diplomats from Turkey, Iran and Russia held a teleconference on April 22 and discussed developments in Syria, particularly in Idlib province and the east of River Euphrates amid growing concerns for the future of a fragile ceasefire in the former.

Turkish and Russian military forces have carried out another joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Syria, said Turkey's Defense Ministry on April 21. 

"Fifth combined Turkish-Russian land patrol was conducted today by air and ground vehicles on M4 motorway in Syria's Idlib province, as part of the earlier TR-RF agreement," the ministry said on Twitter.

Turkish and Russian troops have carried out their fourth combined patrolling on the M4 highway in the Idlib province of Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a written statement.

Thousands of displaced Syrians have begun moving back to their homes in war-torn Idlib province despite the risk of renewed conflict, some driven by fear that the new coronavirus could wreak havoc on crowded camps near the Turkish border.

Hundreds and thousands of displaced Syrians have started to return to their homes in war-ravaged Idlib province, after the cease-fire was ensured in the province, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

Mohamed al-Hallaj, director of the Response Coordinators Team, told Anadolu Agency that over 100,000 Syrians, who were staying at camps, returned to their homes.

Turkish and Russian troops have conducted their third joint patrolling mission, the Turkish defense minister said on April 8, in line with the March 5 agreement brokered between Ankara and Moscow that brought a temporary cease-fire in Syria's Idlib province.

Turkey cannot host any more refugees, either from Syria or beyond, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 23, in an opinion piece in the Financial Times.

Turkey's Defense Ministry on March 20 ruled out rumours about the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

The ministry said in a written statement that the planned deployment and distribution of troops in Idlib continue.