Russian and Turkish military personnel conducted joint patrols in Syria near the border with Turkey along the M-4 highway on a route more than 200 kilometers, according to a Memorandum signed by the two heads of state at the end of 2019. This was reported to reporters by a representative of the Russian Center for the reconciliation of warring parties in Syria.
"The Russian and Turkish military conducted another patrol of the M-4 highway along the Syrian-Turkish border in the North-East of the Arab Republic. The length of the route was 210 kilometers, " the representative of the center said.
The two countries' military columns met at the Shirk settlement. The column was covered during the movement by a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that followed the vehicles, as well as a Mi-35 attack helicopter that performed reconnaissance 5-10 kilometers along the route of the armored vehicles.
During the patrol, the military fulfilled the task of monitoring the ceasefire in this section of the country along the M-4 highway, which is the most important transport artery of the country.
During the patrol, the Russian military noted that there were many destroyed buildings along the M-4 highway, but due to the cease-fire regime, retail outlets were starting to operate in localities, and they had also started selling fuel for civilian vehicles from tanks, since gas stations remained closed for the time being. "The patrol was conducted in normal mode," the Center reports.
Russian-Turkish Memorandum
On October 22, 2019, the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, at a meeting in Sochi, adopted a Memorandum on joint actions to resolve the situation in North-Eastern Syria. According to the document, Russian military police and Syrian forces were deployed in areas bordering the Turkish security zone. Starting November 1, the Russian and Turkish military began joint patrols East of the Euphrates river.
In March this year, Moscow and Ankara agreed on the introduction of a ceasefire and a number of other measures aimed at resolving the situation in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation zone. Fighting in this region was supposed to stop on March 6.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS