BEIRUT: The Syrian government has accused Turkey of failing to meet obligations set out in an agreement with Russia to create a demilitarised zone free of extremists in the northwest, at odds with the Russian view that Ankara is fulfilling the deal.
The agreement forged in September between Russia, President Bashar Assad’s most powerful ally, and Turkey, which backs the rebels, staved off a major government offensive into the opposition-held Idlib region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Ankara was fulfilling its obligations in Idlib.
But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem said in comments reported late on Monday that Turkey appeared unwilling to implement the deal.
“The terrorists still exist with their heavy arms in this region and this is an indicator of Turkey’s unwillingness to fulfill its obligations,” Moualem said in Damascus, according to the official news agency SANA.
The Syrian government has vowed to recover “every inch” of Syria, including the Idlib region.
The Turkish-Russian agreement established a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) deep into rebel territory that was to be free of heavy weapons and extremists by mid October.
The main extremist group in the northwest, Tahrir Al-Sham, gave a nod of approval to the Turkish agreement, but without explicitly saying it would abide by it.
Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of the anti-Assad insurgency.
Turkey has established 12 military positions in the northwest under a previous agreement with Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main ally.
The United Nations warned that any major offensive into the Idlib region would cause a humanitarian catastrophe. The region is home to around 3 million people.
Syria: Turkey not implementing Idlib deal
Syria: Turkey not implementing Idlib deal
- Turkey has established 12 military positions in the northwest under a previous agreement with Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main ally
- The Syrian government has vowed to recover “every inch” of Syria, including the Idlib region
The art of war: fears for masterpieces on loan to Louvre Abu Dhabi
- UAE paid more than €1 billion to borrow priceless works, but experts in France want them back
PARIS: The Middle East war has raised fears for the safety of priceless masterpieces on loan from France to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum’s only foreign branch.
The Abu Dhabi museum, which opened in 2017, has so far escaped damage from nearly 1,800 Iranian drone and missile strikes launched since the conflict erupted on Feb. 28.
However, concerns are mounting in France. “The works must be removed,” said Didier Selles, who helped broker the original agreement between France and the UAE.
French journal La Tribune de l’Art echoed that alarm. “The Louvre’s works in Abu Dhabi must be secured!” it said.
France’s culture ministry said French authorities were “in close and regular contact with the authorities of the UAE to ensure the protection of the works loaned by France.”
Under the agreement with the UAE, France agreed to provide expertise, lend works of art and organize exhibitions, in return for €1 billion, including €400 million for licensing the use of the Louvre name. The deal was extended in 2021 to 2047 for an additional €165 million.
Works on loan include paintings by Rembrandt and Chardin, Classical statues of Isis, Roman sarcophagi and Islamic masterpieces: such as the Pyxis of Al-Mughira.
A Louvre Abu Dhabi source said the museum was designed to protect collections from both security threats and natural disasters.
