According to the statement posted on Turkey's Defense Ministry website, two ministers discussed the ceasefire in Idlib and the ways to make it permanent in order to prevent further bloodshed and to provide an environment for the return of over 1 million innocent people, 81 percent of whom are women and children, displaced from their homes.

On 5 March 2020, Presidents of Turkey and Russian Federation, Erdogan and Putin met in Moscow for high-level talks. According to the statements made by Turkish and Russian leaders following their one-on-one meeting, a ceasefire in the area of Idlib was to come into force from 00:00 hrs 6 March 2020.

The new cease-fire agreement included joint Russian and Turkish patrols of a 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) wide corridor alongside the M4 Motorway that runs through Idlib to Latakia. (ILKHA)