Russia and Turkey agree on joint patrol in Syria and extension of ceasefire
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that, after almost seven hours of negotiations in Sochi, the Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to extend the ceasefire in Northern Syria for 150 hours (more than six days), reports Deutsche Welle.
During these 150 hours, Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) should withdraw 30 kilometers into Syria.
Also, Moscow and Ankara will organize joint patrols of the security zone in the Syrian territory along the Turkish border.
According to Lavrov, the obligations stipulated in the Memorandum, which Putin and Erdogan signed, "ensure an end to the bloodshed, and the [Turkish military] operation, which causes such a contradictory reaction in the world."
The previous agreement on a five-day ceasefire that was reached on October 17 between Washington and Ankara expired on the evening of October 22.
Turkey suspended military operation in Syria on October 17 after long negotiations between US Vice-President Mike Pence and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.