Sochi agreement aims at eliminating terrorism: Lavrov

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Russia in Sochi aims at eliminating the threat of terrorism in Syria’s Idlib.

Lavrov's remarks came during his official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Bosnian counterpart Igor Crnadak, Lavrov said that the main danger is at east of the Euphrates where the illegal activities are carried out under the U.S. control.

He noted that Russian and Turkish military officials have agreed on the frontier of the disarmament zone in Idlib.

The borders of a disarmament zone in a key Syrian province were set during a three-day meeting this week between Turkish and Russian delegations.

The Turkish-Russian meeting on Sept. 19-21 discussed carrying out principles of the landmark Sochi agreement for the northwestern province of Idlib, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The agreement, following a meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, stipulated establishment of a 15 to 20-kilometer (9.3-12.4 miles) disarmament zone in Idlib, Syria’s last opposition stronghold.

Ankara and Moscow also signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the “stabilization” of Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Under the pact, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will do joint patrols in the area to head off renewed fighting.

Answering a question about U.S. sanctions against Russia, Lavrov described the sanctions as "an indication of the dirty competition of the United States."

"The U.S. sanctions are no longer surprising," he added.