Secretary-General Praises Agreement on Buffer Zone in Idlib, Syria, Urging Parties to Ensure Safe Humanitarian Access

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement reached on 17 September between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation to create a demilitarized buffer zone in Idlib region, which should avert a full-scale military operation and provide reprieve for millions of civilians.  The Secretary-General calls all the parties in Syria to cooperate in the implementation of the agreement and ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access in all areas through the most direct routes.

The Secretary-General stresses the need for swift action to address the root causes of the conflict and forge, at long last, a durable political solution in line with United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 (2016).