The recent agreement between Turkey and Russia that calls for preserving the current status of Idlib and establishing a demilitarized buffer zone around the area has been paving the way for the return of Syrians to the northern Syrian province.

With the aim of protecting civilians, avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe and shoring up the efforts for a political process, Ankara seems to fully implement the deal, which is considered to be going well so far.

Following a period in which the civilians and the moderate opposition had been fearing a full-scale operation on Idlib by Syria's Bashar Assad regime, the agreement has given civilians a respite and raised hopes for preventing a humanitarian crisis.

"Thankfully, as of now, things seem to be improving," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters in New York on Thursday. "Even yesterday, 50,000-60,000 people returned home. These are significant developments. I hope it will continue," he said.

Relieved with the agreement, many Syrians started to return to their homes in the region. It is estimated that there are nearly 3 million civilians in Idlib, which is the largest and last opposition stronghold. Over the years, people who were internally displaced and fleeing the regime's attacks took shelter in Idlib, which substantially raised the population of the city.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the Syrians who have returned to their village al-Eis following the Idlib agreement said that they expect support from Turkey to rebuild their homes and country. "We reject the intervention of Russia and Iran," the villagers said and added that they returned to their homes and are rebuilding their towns.

Another villager called on Syrians to "return to their homes as the current situation is getting better."

The Idlib agreement foresees establishing by Oct. 15 a demilitarized zone some 15 to 20 kilometers deep along the contact line between the armed opposition and government troops. Radical groups and heavy arms will be cleared from the region as well, while the opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas where they are already present. Under the pact, Russia and Turkey will carry out joint patrols in the area.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, said Friday that preparations for the demilitarization of the Idlib region in Syria are underway. He also underscored that, "We are pretty sure that our Turkish partners will stick to the agreement reached by senior political authorities."

Expressing the significance of the deal on the region, Syrian Turkmen Assembly President Muhammed Vecih Cuma also told AA that the people embraced the agreement and it provided stability in the region. Cuma stressed that prior to the agreement, 1.3 million children were under threat. He underlined that the agreement gave hope to people and also constitutes a step for the resolution of the Syrian crisis.

In relation to the issue, Erdoğan said that a bombardment on Idlib would lead to heavy losses and added that such an attack would urge a new wave of refugees toward Turkey. He stressed that if 500,000 or a million more refugees came to Turkey, it would create a difficult situation for Turkey as the country is already shouldering a great responsibility by hosting 3.5 million Syrians.

Highlighting the significance of launching a process for the reconstruction of Syria, Erdoğan stated that he will discuss the issue with other leaders. He added that there will be a quartet summit in Istanbul with Russia, France and Germany.

The agreement in Sochi has also been internationally welcomed as it prevented an offensive that would have resulted in a humanitarian disaster.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stressed on Thursday that during the meetings at the U.N. General Assembly, many conveyed their support for the Idlib agreement. "Our objective is to end the conflicts, the biggest obstacles to the political solution, to prevent a humanitarian disaster and to step up the political process. Now there is a chance for all of it. We are immensely supporting the creation of a constitutional committee," Çavuşoğlu said.

Touching on the current state of the Idlib agreement, Çavuşoğlu said, "Technical work is still being conducted and our efforts for the demilitarized zone are proceeding as planned." He added that, "We will work together in the next process as well to prevent violations of the agreement."

The Idlib agreement saddles Turkey with the task of eliminating the heavy arms held by radical groups. "The majority of the burden falls on the shoulders of the National Intelligence Organization [MİT]," Erdoğan said, pointing to the organization's major role in the implementation of the deal.