The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany yesterday 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 northwestern 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.
The statement also called for a committee to be established to draft Syria's post-war constitution before the end of the year, "paving the way for free and fair elections" in the war-torn country.
A rival United Nations plan for a committee to write the constitution ran aground this week, with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who attended the summit, saying Damascus rejected the UN having a role in the selection process.
The four leaders in Istanbul vowed to work "together in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria" and "encourage a political solution and strengthen international consensus".
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 northwestern 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.
The statement also called for a committee to be established to draft Syria's post-war constitution before the end of the year, "paving the way for free and fair elections" in the war-torn country.
A rival United Nations plan for a committee to write the constitution ran aground this week, with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who attended the summit, saying Damascus rejected the UN having a role in the selection process.
The four leaders in Istanbul vowed to work "together in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria" and "encourage a political solution and strengthen international consensus".