The work on settlement in Syria, carried out by Russia together with Iran and Turkey, is showing its effectiveness - the hotbed of international terrorism has been virtually eliminated there, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on Monday.

His remarks came at a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad via videoconference, TASS reported.

Putin noted that Russia continues to make active efforts to promote a long-term settlement in Syria, restore its sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity.

One cannot fail to note the effective work carried out within the Astana format with the participation of our partners from Iran and Turkey, the Russian leader said.

According to Putin, the level of violence has been noticeably reduced in Syria, peaceful life is being established, and an inclusive political process is underway under the auspices of the United Nations.

Putin said that over 6.5 million refugees remain outside Syria, most of them could participate in the reconstruction of the country.

According to the Russian leader, the task of post-conflict reconstruction of Syria, and, first of all, the return of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons to their homeland is of fundamental importance at this stage.