NEW YORK: China has welcomed the Russia-Turkey agreement on a ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib province.

Talking to newsmen in New York, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said it is a step forward in promoting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, facilitated by the United Nations.

He expressed the hope that the agreement will be fully implemented.

Also Read: World cares more about Syria’s oil than its children: Erdogan

Zhang stressed that in the process of implementation, Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence should be fully respected.

On Feb 27, at least 29 Turkish soldiers were martyred in an air strike in province of Idlib by the Syrian regime.

Presiding over the emergency meeting of top civil and military officials, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had urged the Syrian government to withdraw from Turkish observation positions in Idlib.

More than 1300 civilians were killed in Idlib in 2018 though declaring it a de-escalation zone by Turkey and Russia.

The Syrian authorities had made no public comments on the latest incident in Idlib as of yet, the last Syrian province held in the hands of opposition.