Turkey, Russia, Iran agree on Idlib de-escalation zone at Astana summit

An agreement emerged between the three guarantor countries – Turkey, Russia and Iran – regarding the de-escalation zones in Idlib on Friday.

The agreement that emerged from the sixth round of peace talks aimed at ending the Syria conflict in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana is the establishment of de-escalation zones in Idlib.

The agreement was reached on the second day of the peace talks between the guarantor countries, the Syrian opposition and the regime delegation.

Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sedat Önal, the head of the Turkish team, and his delegation met with the Syrian opposition on early Friday morning.

Military opposition sources said that Turkish and Russian forces will be positioned between the opposition in Idlib and regime forces in Idlib's east.

U.S. and Jordan representatives, who are attending the talks as observers, are also holding meetings.

On May 4, Moscow, Ankara and Tehran agreed to set up four de-escalation zones in Syria.

According to the agreement, the zones -- in which acts of aggression are nominally prohibited -- would cover the city of Idlib and certain parts of Latakia, Homs, Aleppo and Hama provinces, along with Damascus, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and Quneitra.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and more than 10 million were displaced, according to the UN.