Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Wednesday the Syrian government to withdraw its military outside the Turkish observation posts in Syrian Idlib by the end of February, AP reported.

"This is a new era in Syria. Nothing can remain the same where the Turkish soldier's blood has been shed," he said, in reference to Monday's deadly clashes.

“If our soldiers' safety cannot be ensured in Idlib, no one can deny our right to ensure it ourselves,” he said.

Earlier, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported that fighters of the Syrian army liberated 22 settlements in the Saraqib's outskirts in Idlib province, where the outpost of terrorists from the Jabhat al-Nusra groupis released per day. The rapid advance of government forces allowed them to block the enemy’s supply lines to force the militants to surrender.

Idlib is the only region in Syria that has remained in the hands of illegal armed groups since 2012. A northern de-escalation zone was created there in 2017, where militants who refused to lay down arms in Eastern Ghouta and the southern regions of Syria moved there. In the province there are 12 observation posts of the Turkish army.

Erdogan said that Ankara attaches particular importance to friendship and cooperation with Moscow. The Turkish leader said yesterday there is no need to enter into conflict or serious contradiction now, since Ankara and Moscow are implementing very serious strategic projects, including the construction of the first Akkuyu NPP in Turkey and the TurkStream gas pipeline project.