Russia-Turkey Agreement Helped Prevent War in Syrian Idlib, Iranian FM Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that thanks to the meetings and negotiations held in recent weeks, including the meeting of the Russian and Turkish leaders in Sochi, the war in the Syrian province of Idlib was prevented.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, which lasted almost 4.5 hours. They have agreed to create a demilitarized zone along the contact line between the armed opposition and government troops in Idlib by October 15.

"Intensive responsible diplomacy over the last few weeks-pursued in my visits to Ankara & Damascus, followed by the Iran-Russia-Turkey Summit in Tehran and the meeting is Sochi-is succeeding to avert war in #Idlib with a firm commitment to fight extremist terror. Diplomacy works," Zarif said on Twitter.

The city of Idlib is the last remaining stronghold of anti-government insurgents and al-Qaeda-linked terror groups in Syria.

Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, during which they have agreed to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib by October 15.

READ MORE: Russian Defense Minister Rules Out New Op in Idlib After Putin-Erdogan Talks

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson said that the United States is encouraged by Russia's and Turkey's efforts to avoid violence in the Syrian province of Idlib.