The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey gathered in Istanbul Saturday for a summit on Syria to discuss the political settlement, including plans to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib province, as well as other international issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to give a joint statement in Istanbul following the meeting.

The multilateral summit, which is the first of its kind, has taken place after a September agreement between Ankara and Moscow that stipulated the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib province, the last major terrorist-held territory in the country.

Source: Agencies