Russia Plays Key Role in Maintaining Ceasefire in Syria – Erdogan’s Adviser

Russia plays a crucial role in maintaining the ceasefire regime in Syria, Ilnur Cevik, an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The military conflict in Syria has been continuing since March 2011. Since September 2015, at request by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia has been providing military aid to the government.

"Russia is a guarantor. Russia has impact on Damascus while we [have impact] on opposition. In that way, the ceasefire is maintained," Cevik told reporters.

Apart from conducting airstrikes on terrorist targets, Russia has been an initiator of intra-Syrian talks in Astana, which supplemented the Geneva talks. Along with Turkey, Russia is a guarantor of a nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime that took effect on December 30 last year.

On February 19, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the talks on Syrian ceasefire held between Russia and Turkey had more chances to succeed than any other discussions.