By AFP – Oct 27,2018 -JORDAN TIMES
Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron hold hands after a conference as part of a summit called to attempt to find a lasting political solution to the civil war in Syria, which has claimed in excess of 350 000 lives, at Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul on Saturday (AFP photo)
ISTANBUL — The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany on Saturday called for a fragile ceasefire to be preserved in Syria’s last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib, following a major summit aimed at finding a political solution to the country’s devastating seven-year civil war.
In a joint statement adopted at the end of the talks in Istanbul, the four nations “stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire, while underlining the necessity to continue to fight against terrorism”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan read the statement, which hailed “progress” following a deal last month between Syrian-regime supporter Russia and rebel-backer Turkey to create a buffer zone around the north-western province of Idlib.
Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, France’s Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for extended talks on the Syrian conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011
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