MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, say they have reached agreements that could end fighting in northwestern Syria.
They say a cease-fire will come into force in Idlib at midnight.
Putin also voiced hope that the deal would end civilian suffering and help contain a humanitarian crisis.
The two countries' foreign ministers said that the agreement involves a cease-fire that must be enforced starting at midnight along the existing battle lines.
The deal also envisages setting up a 12-kilometer (7-mile) -wide security corridor along the M4 highway. The corridor will be jointly patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops, starting March 15.
Putin said he and Erdogan reached agreement on a joint document during the talks in Moscow that lasted for more than six hours.
Meanwhile, two Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in Idlib, its defense ministry said Thursday, just hours before a cease-fire agreed by Turkey and Russia was due to take effect.
Three other soldiers were also wounded in the attack in the northwestern province, the ministry said, adding that Turkish forces “immediately” retaliated against regime targets.
