Trump Thanks Turkey ‘For Helping To Negotiate Restraint’ in Syria’s Idlib

U.S. President Donald J. Trump thanked Turkey for its role in preventing an offensive on the Syrian rebel stronghold Idlib by the country’s own regime, during his address at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.

Lashing out at Russia and Iran for their support of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Trump said these two countries “enabled the Syrian regime’s butchery”.

Speaking at a session on “non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”, Trump also thanked Turkey “for helping to negotiate restraint”.

“Anything the U.S.A. can do to help resolve this problem in order to save perhaps even hundreds of thousands of lives, maybe more, we are willing and able. We are available to help,” he continued.

Idlib, which is located across the Turkish border in the southeast, is currently the last area controlled by Syrian opposition groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was strongly against a possible military intervention on rebel groups in Idlib by Assad. He negotiated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Assad, and the pair struck a deal on Idlib.

On September 17, Moscow announced that there would be no assault on Idlib as he and Erdogan agreed to create a demilitarized zone around the Syrian rebel-held province.

Erdogan said after the deal that it “will prevent a humanitarian tragedy which could happen as a result of military action”.