UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Friday underscored the importance of counter-terrorism efforts in war-torn Syria, highlighting the problem of foreign terrorist fighters.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said that eradicating terrorist forces is a necessary security prerequisite for the Syrian people to return to peace and an orderly life.

Weapons are displayed in a military base in the countryside of Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 3, 2018. The Syrian army uncovered large amounts of weapons that had been left behind by Islamic State militants in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, Hama and Sweida, according to state news agency SANA. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

He warned that Syria's northwestern province Idlib "has become a breeding ground for terrorism," the problem of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria has come to the fore and there may be a resurgence of the Islamic State.

"These are threats to peace and security in Syria, in the Middle East, and also in the world," he said, urging all parties to avoid actions that threaten the achievements of counter-terrorism, try their best to work together, and earnestly explore the issue of how to bring the terrorists to justice.

A Syrian officer walks in the largely destroyed Hajar al-Aswad district, south of Damascus, Syria, on May 22, 2018, a day after it was declared free of the Islamic State (IS) militants. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

He added that China recommends the UN Secretariat pay close attention to the counter-terrorism development in Syria and the flow of terrorists there, and provide timely relevant information to the countries concerned to solidify conditions for resolving the issue of foreign terrorist fighters and other problems.  ■