Russia and Turkey agreed on Monday to create a demilitarized zone around Syria’s opposition-held region of Idlib, stressing that there will be no military offensive on the northwestern province. The announcement was made after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Sochi with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We will prevent a humanitarian tragedy which could happen as a result of military action," Erdogan said after the four-hour talks. Putin said the two leaders agreed to create a 15-20 kilometer-wide demilitarized zone along the line of contact between rebels and regime troops by October 15. This would entail a "withdrawal of all radical fighters" from Idlib including the al-Nusra Front, he added. Putin and Erdogan also agreed on the withdrawal of "heavy weaponry from this zone," including tanks, multiple launch rocket systems, and rocket launchers belonging to all armed groups, the Russian leader added. The demilitarized zone will be secured with the help of "mobile patrol groups of Turkish contingents and contingents of Russian military police," Putin said. By the end of the year, transportation routes between the key port of Latakia and Aleppo as well as Latakia and the major city of Hama must be restored, he added. "We agreed that practical implementation of the steps we plan will give a fresh impetus to the process of political settlement of the Syrian conflict and will make it possible to invigorate efforts in the Geneva format and will help restore peace in Syria," he said. Erdogan stated: "The opposition will continue to remain in the areas where they are. In return, we will ensure that the radical groups, which we will determine with Russia, will not operate in the area under discussion.” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the agreement between Putin and Erdogan meant that no military action would be taken against Idlib, Russian news agencies reported. Ahmed Ramadan, a spokesman for the Syrian political opposition in exile, said the agreement offered Russia a chance to walk back its threat against Idlib and represented a success for diplomatic pressure from Turkey and the United States, which was also against an offensive. Ramadan also said the deal offers the regime and Russia one of their main demands, which is securing the highway that passes through Idlib and links northern Syria with other cities. That was one of the regime’s strategic aims in an offensive in Idlib. "Turkey offered Putin a ladder with which to climb down from the tree, threatening a military offensive in Idlib that had little chance for success," Ramadan said in a series of text messages with The Associated Press. "The Turkish and US serious pressures were the reason behind Russia abstaining from the offensive and offering an air cover which means Iran alone wont be able to carry out the offensive with the overstretched forces of the regime." Russia-backed forces of the Syrian regime have massed around Idlib province in recent weeks, sparking fears of an imminent air and ground attack to retake the last major opposition bastion. The United Nations and non-governmental organizations have repeatedly warned that such an offensive would unleash a "bloodbath" and "humanitarian catastrophe" in Idlib. Turkey has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to avert a possible attack. Erdogan and Putin met previously on September 7 in Tehran for a three-way summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. At that summit the Russian and Turkish leaders openly disagreed over how to deal with the rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey. Turkeys military has reportedly sent reinforcements to Idlib in recent weeks. Tanks and other hardware, with a convoy of 50 military vehicles, were sent over the border Sunday, according to the Hurriyet daily. Russian and Syrian air strikes, artillery fire and barrel bomb attacks have killed more than 30 civilians across the province in the past month, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.