Turkey, Russia agree on need for decisive measures in Syria's Idlib

Turkey and Russia's defense ministers agreed on the need to take what they called decisive measures to stabilise the situation in Syria's Idlib province during talks on Monday, Russia's RIA news agency cited a joint statement as saying.

Russia, an important Syrian government ally, and Turkey brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region that would be evacuated of all heavy weapons and fighters.

A joint statement published after the talks between the two defence ministers in Ankara spoke of "the need in particular to take decisive measures to ensure security in the Idlib demilitarised zone," RIA reported.