Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar met his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford on the sidelines of the annual meeting of NATO’s Military Committee in the Albanian capital of Tirana on Sept. 15, Hürriyet daily reported.
During the meeting, Akar and Dunford discussed developments in Syria and Iraq, including a planned independence referendum in northern Iraq and setting up of de-escalation zones in Syria, the report said.
In the meeting, Akar informed Dunford on the agreement reached between Russia, Iran and Turkey regarding setting up de-escalation zones in four different regions of Syria, including Idlib, for six months, as well as a joint coordination centre to monitor the truce between the Syrian government and militant groups. Akar also gave information regarding Tehran, Moscow and Ankara sending 500 observers each to Idlib, it added.
According to the report, Akar also stressed that Turkey will never allow a "Kurdish corridor" on its southern borders.
