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Turkish FM: Turkey "most affected" if Idlib crisis worsens

25 September 2019 12:22 (UTC +04:00)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday reiterated Ankara's concerns in the wake of a likely refugee wave generating from Idlib, Syria, saying his country will be hit the hardest, APA reports citing Yeni Safak.

Cavusoglu was speaking at a high-level meeting on the Syrian crisis at UN headquarters in New York.

"Just look at Idlib. A catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes," said Cavusoglu."Turkey will be the most affected country if the humanitarian crisis worsens."

Turkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.

The area is currently inhabited by about 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands of people displaced in recent years by regime forces from cities and towns throughout the war-weary country.

"The population of Idlib is almost the same as the number of Syrians in Turkey. We cannot handle a new wave," said Cavusoglu and added that an international conference with Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to discuss the return of Syrians is being planned to be held in Turkey.