FM Çavuşoğlu, Pompeo hold phone call on Turkey-Russia deal on Syria's Idlib

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo held a phone call Tuesday to discuss the deal reached between Turkey and Russia on a military buffer zone in Syria's Idlib province.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Monday, following their talks in Sochi, to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib.

Putin said the demilitarized zone will extend between 15 to 20 kilometers (9 to 12 miles) deep into Idlib by Oct. 15.

Turkish and Russian armed forces will conduct joint patrols along the zone's perimeter, according to the agreement.

Located near the Turkish border, Idlib province is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.

The Syrian regime had announced plans last month to launch a major military offensive to the area, long controlled by various armed opposition groups.

The U.N. warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".