The Russian-Turkish patrol of the M-4 highway in Syria for the first time passed not along the shortened section of the highway, but along the whole route. This was reported to journalists on Wednesday at the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the warring parties.
"For the first time joint Russian-Turkish patrols along the M-4 highway <...> took place along the entire route from Trumba settlement (2 km west of Saraqib) to Ain al-Habr settlement in Idlib province. The length of the joint patrol route was 71km," the Centre noted.
From the Russian side three APC-82As were involved in the patrol, the route was controlled from the air by the Russian Air Force drones. Cooperation between the parties was organized through the Joint Coordination Center.
Previously, the Russian side had repeatedly stated that militants threatened the security of these patrols. In particular, due to this, according to the Defense Ministry, the length of the first patrol was reduced. In response, representatives of Turkey said that they would take additional measures to improve security, which would increase the length of the route for the military of the two countries.
The first patrol of the M-4 highway section took place on March 15. It is the most important transport artery in Syria, connecting the economic capital Aleppo with the main port city of the Republic Latakia. Joint patrols and the formation of a security zone in the 12-kilometer zone around the highway will, according to the Russian military, ensure safe passage for civilians in the future and accelerate the reconstruction of Aleppo, which has been badly damaged by the militants.
Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan agreed at talks in Moscow on 5 March to introduce a ceasefire and a number of other measures aimed at resolving the situation in Idlib. The agreements they reached stipulate that hostilities in the region will cease along the entire line of contact with the coming into force of the ceasefire on 6 March. Moscow and Ankara reaffirmed their commitment to preserving Syrian sovereignty and agreed to continue their fight against terrorism.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation/TASS
Based on materials from TASS