The UN envoy for Syria on Tuesday hailed Russia's partial military withdrawal from the war-ravaged country as a "significant development" and voiced hope it could positively influence peace talks, AFP reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday made a shock announcement that he had ordered the withdrawal of "the main part" of Russia's forces after talks with long-standing ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"The announcement by President Putin on the very day of the beginning of this round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva is a significant development," Staffan de Mistura said in a statement read by his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.