Syria – Q&A from the press briefing (06 Mar. 2020)

Q. Can you comment on the ceasefire agreement concluded by the Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Idlib province, which entered into force on Friday?

A. France, together with its EU partners, takes note of the agreement reached yesterday by Russia and Turkey (see the statement of the Foreign Affairs Council). It is crucial that this agreement lead to an effective implementation on the ground of an immediate, lasting and verifiable cessation of hostilities.

We reiterate our call to guarantee full compliance with international humanitarian law, the protection of civilian populations, and unfettered access to humanitarian aid.

On both the national and European levels, France is stepping up its humanitarian assistance to civilians in the Idlib region, at a time when nearly a million people have been displaced and are living in extremely harsh conditions.

France reiterates that only a negotiated political settlement under the auspices of the UN, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, can put in place the conditions for a lasting solution to the Syrian crisis.