UN hails 'important' Erdogan-Putin meeting on Syria

The meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Syria was "very important", a UN official said on Monday.

UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the talk would have a "positive" impact on civilians in Syria's northwestern Idlib province since they are at "great risk".

His remarks came after Turkey and Russia on Monday agreed to turn Idlib into a demilitarized zone.

Ankara and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the stabilization of the situation in Idlib's de-escalation zone, in which acts of aggression are prohibited.