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UN chief hopes Russian-Turkish agreements on Idlib will result in ceasefire

Earlier, Putin and Erdogan agreed on a ceasefire and a number of other steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria’s Idlib province

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

© AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry

UNITED NATIONS, March 6. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed the hope that the agreements on the situation in Syria’s Idlib province reached by the Russian and Turkish leaders will lead to an immediate cessation of hostilities.

"The Secretary-General hopes that this agreement will lead to an immediate and lasting cessation of hostilities that ensures the protection of civilians in northwest Syria", reads a statement issued on behalf of the UN chief.

Read also

Putin highlights need for face-to-face conversation with Erdogan amid Idlib crisis

He also called for a return to the UN-brokered political process mandated by Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on a ceasefire and a number of other steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria’s Idlib province at the talks in Moscow held on Thursday. The agreements reached by them stipulate that hostilities in Idlib will be terminated along the entire line of contact after the ceasefire comes into force on March 6. On March 15, Russia and Turkey will begin joint patrols of the area along the MH4 highway where a security corridor will be set up. Moscow and Ankara reaffirmed their commitment to preserving Syria’s sovereignty and agreed to continue the war on terror.

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