Turkish, Russian troops to start Syria patrols on Sunday
Turkish and Russian troops will begin jointly patrolling a key highway in northwest Syria on Sunday as part of a fragile truce brokered by the countries, Turkey's defense minister said Friday, according to The Associated Press report.
Hulusi Akar made the announcement after Turkish and Russian officials ended four days of talks in Ankara over the technicalities of the cease-fire reached last week for Syria's Idlib province.
The cease-fire by Russia and Turkey — which support the opposing sides in the Syria conflict — called for the establishment of a security corridor along Syria's M4 highway, running east-west in Idlib, with joint patrols by Russian and Turkish troops.
Speaking to reporters, Akar said the Russian and Turkish delegations agreed to "set up joint coordination centers" for Idlib. The minister did not provide further details. "Our hope is for truce to rapidly become a permanent one," the minister said.