UNITED NATIONS, March 6 -- China's UN envoy on Friday said China welcomes the Russia-Turkey agreement on a ceasefire for Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.
In a press encounter after a close-door Security Council meeting on Syria, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said "for China, we welcome the agreement signed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, and we welcome the diplomatic efforts along this direction."
He said the signing of the agreement is conducive to finding "what we have always longed ... a comprehensive solution to the issue in Syria."
It's a step forward in promoting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, facilitated by the UN, he said, expressing the hope that the agreement will be fully implemented.
Zhang stressed that in the process of implementation, Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence should be fully respected.
He said China hopes the international community will continue to commit to the fight against terrorism in the process. "We do hope that we will see more encouraging progress."
The Chinese envoy voiced support for the humanitarian effort made by the UN, pledging that China will do whatever it can to provide humanitarian aid. "We also hope that the comprehensive humanitarian situation in Syria will be taken care of by the international community."
He also urged parties concerned to avoid any attack on the civilians in Idlib and in Syria as a whole.
Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday on a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, a development that could ease escalating conflicts and facilitate a peace process in the war-torn country.
The ceasefire became effective from 00:01 a.m. on Friday local time. Russia and Turkey also agreed to create a safety corridor 6 km to the north and 6 km to the south from the strategic M4 highway, which connects Aleppo in northern Syria with Latakia in the northwest.
Also in the press encounter, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said the ceasefire does not "exempt" operations targeting terrorists in the area, and that he hopes the sporadic fighting after the ceasefire took effect will be put out.
Britain and Germany's UN ambassadors also expressed hope that the fresh ceasefire will last.
In 2018, the two countries agreed on a deal in the southern Russian city of Sochi, which created a "de-escalation" zone in Idlib and allowed for the deployment of 12 Turkish observation posts. However, the "de-escalation" zone has been repeatedly violated.
More than 30 Turkish soldiers were killed last month around the area during an operation of the Syrian government, which Russia backs. The operation was attempting to regain control of the final rebel stronghold in the country after nearly nine years of war.
In response, Turkey targeted Syrian positions with aircraft, drones and artillery, raising fears of a direct military confrontation between Russia and Turkey.
Since March 2011, Syria has been in the throes of a conflict that has forced more than half of all Syrians to leave their homes.
According to The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 5 million Syrians have fled the country, 6 million others are internally displaced, over 13 million people need assistance and an untold number of men, women and children are suffering greatly.
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Canada wildfire and NASA discovery 加拿大林火,美国国家航空航天局发现系外行星
In one ear and out the other 左耳进,右耳出
Cyclists make Olympic history, 400-year-old shark 英国自行车运动员创英奥运历史,400岁格陵兰鲨鱼
Chelsea doctor and surfing in Australia 切尔西队医与球队和解,澳大利亚冲浪
Battery risk, Farmer anti-theft solution 纽扣电池的潜在危险,牧场主防盗有术
Ebola outbreak and brain injuries 埃博拉疫情,脑部创伤
Ten a penny 多得遍地都是
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Russian athletes and friendly robots 俄罗斯运动员服用兴奋剂,“合作机器人”
Big Ben and gorilla surprise 维修大本钟,大猩猩生子
Art and football 海底发现文物,莱斯特城足球俱乐部曼谷庆功
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California wildfires and cloned animals 加利福尼亚州野火,克隆动物衰老过程正常
Simple, innocent, naive, pure 四个近义词的区别
Crash course 速成课
Diabetes warning and Queen at 90 糖尿病激增引忧, 英国女王90岁生日
Zika virus, Rare whale filmed in Australia 寨卡病毒传播风险,澳大利亚拍到罕见鲸鱼影像
Delhi's pollution and South Africa's solar power 新德里环境污染,南非发展太阳能
Cyborg beetle and the teenage brain 半机械甲虫,青少年脑部发育
Connection and link 两个表示“关系”的单词
Counting elephants, Australian Elvis 空中数大象,澳大利亚“猫王节”
The cost of protecting the environment, Juno space probe 保护环境付出的代价,“朱诺”木星探测器
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