Russia and Turkey have reportedly reached an agreement on a proposal for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria after the two sides brokered a truce that put an end to years of fighting in the northwestern city of Aleppo.
The deal was carved out on Wednesday between Moscow and Ankara, which respectively represented the Syrian government and the militants fighting Damascus, at the negotiations, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported. The agreement envisages the extension of the ceasefire in Syria’s second city of Aleppo to the entirety of the Arab country.
The regime, which is planned to take effect at midnight, excludes “terror” groups, added the report, without identifying the outfits.
Analysts speculate that those factored out of the accord are Daesh and Fateh al-Sham, among other Takfiri terror outfits. Most notable among such groups are Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.
Russia and Turkey have, accordingly, named themselves as the “guarantors” of the truce process.
If the truce survives sabotage, it will form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between Damascus and the hostile parties, the agency added.
The potential talks, which are similarly to be overseen by Moscow and Ankara, are to take place in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
However, Moscow said on Wednesday that it could not comment on the Anadolu report.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “I cannot answer that question right now.”
“I don’t have sufficient information,” said Peskov, adding, “We are constantly in touch with our Turkish colleagues to discuss various details about the possible talks that are planned for Astana.”
“This is all being done to search for a political resolution for Syria,” the Russian official said.
Aleppo was fully extricated from the clutches of Takfiri terrorists last week after a month of lightning advances by the Syrian military.
The triumph served an unwonted blow to the steadfast political and military support the militants had been receiving from the foreign states desiring the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Besides Turkey, those countries include the US and some Persian Gulf monarchies, most notably Saudi Arabia.
As the liberation was in the offing, Russia and Turkey entered talks, bringing about a direly-needed ceasefire enabling evacuations out of the eastern parts of the city, which were controlled by militants.
‘Unknown’ aircraft kill civilians
In another development on Wednesday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report that 22 civilians have fallen victim of air raids carried out by “unidentified” aircraft on Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
There are 10 children among the victims, who are from two families at Hojna in Dayr al-Zawr, according to the monitor.
The province, which is mainly controlled by Daesh, is regularly targeted by US-led fighter jets.
