Russian, Turkish military to coordinate in Syria after US pullout: Russian FM

MOSCOW, Dec. 29 -- Russian and Turkish military will continue to coordinate their steps to eradicate terrorism in Syria after the withdrawal of US troops, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.

He made the remarks at a press conference here following talks attended by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of both countries.

The parties agreed to continue work in strict compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, including unconditional respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, Lavrov said.

They also outlined concrete measures to intensify joint work aimed at creating conditions for more Syrian refugees to return to their homes, he said.

Cavusoglu added that the parties discussed steps to implement the memorandum on the creation of a demilitarized zone in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

In September, Russia and Turkey decided to set up a demilitarized zone between the armed opposition and the government troops in Idlib bordering Turkey.

The deal was partially implemented in terms of reducing the rate of violence and the withdrawal of heavy weapons of the rebels from the designated zone, but some ultra-radical rebels refused to comply.