ANKARA, January 10. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone starting from January 12, Turkey’s ministry of national defense said on Friday.

"As part of an agreement with the Russian Federation, a ceasefire will be declared in the Idlib de-escalation zone from 00:01 on January 12, 2020," it said.

Meanwhile, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, Yuri Borenkov, said on January 9 that a ceasefire would be imposed in the Idlib de-escalation zone starting from 14:00 Moscow time on Thursday.

Idlib is the only large Syrian region that is still controlled by illegal armed groups. A norther de-escalation zone was set up in Idlib in 2017 to give shelter to militants and their families who were reluctant to voluntarily surrender arms in Eastern Ghouta and in Syria’s southern regions. Twelve Turkish observation stations are operating in the Idlib governorate.