Syria's parliament Thursday recognised the 1915-1917 murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, as tensions run high with Turkey after deadly clashes in northwest Syria.
"The parliament... condemns and recognises the genocide committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman state at the start of the twentieth century," the parliament said in a statement.
Meanwhile Turkey has said it will use force against those violating a ceasefire in Syria's northwestern Idlib region including "radical" groups. "Force will be used in Idlib against those who do not abide by the ceasefire, including the radicals," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying.
Preceding this,Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had said Wednesday that his military would strike Syrian government forces by air or ground anywhere in Syria if another Turkish soldier was hurt, after 13 troops were killed by Syrian forces in a week.
Akar also said Turkey was sending additional reinforcements to its positions in Idlib to ensure a ceasefire in the region is maintained and to "control" the region, state-run Anadolu news agency quoted him as saying.
The announcement comes after Russia accused Ankara of failing to "neutralise" militant groups under a 2018 deal.
Idlib, the last opposition bastion in Syria, is held by an array of rebels including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, led by members of the country's former Al-Qaeda franchise.
Agencies
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