France backs Turkey-Russia Idlib deal


France has voiced its support for the recent Turkey-Russia deal to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in northwestern Syria's Idlib.

The French Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed the development in a statement.

The statement comes a day after Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris.

"The talks focused mainly on the Syrian issue. Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed support for the [Turkey-Russia] agreement in Sochi on Sept. 17 that establishes a demilitarized zone in Idlib, avoiding a military offensive by the [Syrian] regime and its allies at this stage," read the statement.

On Sept. 17, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed one the disarmament zone in Idlib.

Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom are internally displaced people running away from the Bashar Assad regime.