File Photo: A Turkish army tank is seen in Afrin, Syria, on Jan. 22, 2018. (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of seven nations on Thursday urged convening as soon as possible a constitutional committee to begin drafting a new Syrian constitution.

According to a statement released by the U.S. State Department, foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Britain and the United States expressed "support for the urgent convening of a constitutional committee to advance the UN's efforts to achieve a political solution to the conflict in Syria on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2254."

"We call on the UN and the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria to convene, as quickly as possible, a credible, inclusive constitutional committee that will begin the work of drafting a new Syrian constitution and laying the groundwork for free and fair UN-supervised elections in a safe and neutral environment in which all eligible Syrians - including those in the diaspora - have a right to participate," the statement read.

"We urge the UN Special Envoy for Syria to report back to the Security Council on his progress no later than October 31," said the foreign ministers.

"The Syrian conflict has dragged on for more than seven years at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives lost and millions forcibly displaced by violence both within Syria and beyond its borders. There is an urgent need for concerted diplomacy and international political will to end the conflict," they said.

"We underscore the Office of the UN Special Envoy's clear mandate from the Secretary-General and the UN Security Council to move forward with convening a constitutional committee, and encourage all sides to ensure the Syrian parties are prepared to engage substantively in the committee's proceedings once convened," read the statement.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in the war-torn country which the government forces have been trying to take over.

Iran welcomed the deal between Russia and Turkey, saying it was "the result of intensive responsible diplomacy."