OREANDA-NEWS. Turkey doesn't consider withdrawing its troops from Syrian Idlib, where Ankara has 12 observation posts. This was announced on Thursday by the Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar.

"Our military presence in Idlib with all our elements continues. There is no question of the withdrawal of troops, all our troops remain in place", Anadolu agency quoted him as saying.

Presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the talks held on March 5 in Moscow agreed on the introduction of a ceasefire and a number of other measures aimed at resolving the situation in Idlib. The agreements reached by them stipulate that hostilities in this region will be terminated along the entire line of contact with the entry into force of the ceasefire on March 6.

Starting March 15, the Russian Federation and Turkey will begin joint patrols along the M-4 highway, along which a security corridor will be created. Moscow and Ankara reaffirmed their commitment to preserving the sovereignty of Syria and agreed to continue the decisive fight against terrorism.