Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry “hailed” the cease-fire in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The truce is seen as a crucial step toward ending the conflict.

In a phone call, Lavrov and Kerry welcomed “the implementation of the cease-fire in Syria,” the ministry said in a statement.

Syria’s top opposition grouping, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said that 97 opposition factions had agreed to respect the truce, for two weeks initially.

Fighting subsided across much of Syria Saturday as the cease-fire appeared to broadly hold despite sporadic breaches in parts of the battle-scarred country.

Meanwhile, Saudi fighter jets, with their crews and all equipment, arrived at the Incirlik air base in Turkey on Friday.

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