Erdoğan: Turkey to remain in Idlib, help people in need

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said that Turkey saved millions from misery through the stability it maintained in Idlib and will continue doing so.

“Turkey saved tens of thousands of people from death, millions from misery, through the stability it maintained in Idlib,” Erdoğan said at the dinner of the 4th International Summit of High Courts.

He added that by hosting over 4 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and African countries, Turkey “carries the burden and saves the honor of the international community".

“We are doing this without any notable assistance of the international community and organizations. As of now we have spent $33 billion only for refugees from Syria,” he said.

The president said that in Syria Turkey works on the security and justice systems, which in return paves way for peace.

Stating that Turkey’s understanding of justice comes from its history and civilization, he said Ankara continues to fight in the best interests of its brothers and all of humanity.

Following a meeting in Sochi last month between Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two countries agreed to establish the Idlib demilitarized zone.

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 deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing renewed fighting.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.