A Russian delegation meets Syria’s Assad amid increased numbers of civilian casualties in NW Syria
Idlib – North-Press Agency
The aerial bombardment on the de-escalation zones coincided with a meeting between the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a Russian delegation, in parallel with the increasing number of civilian casualties in various parts of Idlib governorate northwestern Syria.
Where a meeting was held between Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and a Russian delegation headed by Alexander Lavrentiev, the Special Envoy of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Syria, and Sergei Vershinin, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.
The two sides discussed in the meeting on Friday the latest developments in the political process, including the formation of the Constitutional Committee, the situation in the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria and the attacks in the region, in addition to the regional and international developments in the region regarding the Syrian crisis, the Russian delegation’s visit followed a previous visit to Ankara on Thursday, including the spokesman of the Turkish president Ibrahim Kalin.
While the number of civilian casualties raised to 11, including 3 children, 3 women, and one elderly man, due to the bombardment of the Russian and Syrian air forces on Maarat Al-Nu’man and Ariha in Idlib governorate, and Kafar Zita in the northern countryside of Hama.
While the armed opposition groups targeted areas in the village of Al-Jeed in Al-Ghab plain, which is under the control of the Syrian government forces, they also targeted the area of Al-Sukkariya in the eastern countryside of Idlib amid information about casualties among Syrian government forces.
While the areas of Morek, As-Sayyad, Latmin, Kafar Zita and Al-Arba’een in the northern countryside of Hama were subjected to shelling and aerial bombardment, causing material damage without any information about casualties.
It’s worth mentioning that a meeting was held on Thursday in the Turkish capital of Ankara between the Special Envoy of the Russian President to Syria and his accompanying delegation, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister with the spokesman of the Turkish President Ibrahim Kalin and Deputy Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs.
The discussions included the situation in Idlib and the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria, in light of what the Turkish Foreign Ministry described as “The escalation of the terrorist threat there and the necessity to ensure the protection of civilians as well as the Russian and Turkish troops”.
The meeting also dealt with the political settlement of the Syrian crisis, the completion of the process of forming the Constitutional Committee and launching its work and preparing for a new international meeting “within the formula of Astana Meeting” regarding Syria at the beginning of August, in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana).