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| AA photo |
Cease-fire violations by the Syrian government and Shiite militias are threatening to derail scheduled peace talks in Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated on Jan. 4.
“If we cannot stop the violations, the Astana process could fail,” Çavuşoğlu told state-run Anadolu Agency, blaming forces supporting the Syrian regime, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah, of violating the truce, which came into effect on Dec. 30.
He called on Iran to exert pressure on Shiite militias and the Syrian government to stop violating the fragile truce.
Meanwhile, Çavuşoğlu also stated that Turkey and Russia have been working on a document of punitative enforcement measures for those who violate the ceasefire deal.
Russian officials will visit Turkey on Jan. 9-10 to discuss the framework for Syrian peace talks planned to be held in Astana, he added.
