Turkey-Russia Syria Truce Won’t Last

The agreement consists of only three articles. First, a ceasefire starting from Friday March 6. Second, a security corridor will be established between Syrian rebels and government forces. Third, Russia and Turkey will jointly patrol the security corridor from March 15.

The new deal touched on the migrant crisis but did not include a solution.

It merely noted the need to address a worsening humanitarian crisis, and the importance of displaced people returning to their homes.

'Temporary' agreement papers over cracks:

Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson gives a press conference on presents Action Plan for immediate measures to support Greece in Brussels, Belgium, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET

"The new deal looks a lot like a temporary measure. The ceasefire is likely to be violated by at least one party and most likely everyone, including those who haven't agreed to it," Maxim Suchkov, Russia editor at the US-based Middle Eastern-focused media outlet Al Monitor, told BIRN.

Suchkov said a more permanent deal was impossible under the circumstances.

"The ambitions of the parties run too high, the public discourse is too emotional and the abilities to do something on the ground without further fuelling the escalations are too limited," he said. "In this sense, this minimal achievement is perhaps the maximum possible now," he added.

"Important matters were put aside since the parties primarily focused on stopping the conflict," Timur Akhmetov, an Ankara-based expert on Turkey with the Russian International Affairs Council told BIRN.

Experts say Turkey got the minimum it sought in return for a temporary...