ANKARA
Ankara and Moscow on Tuesday agreed on “historic” Syria deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced after meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
According to the deal, starting at 12 noon (0900GMT) on Oct. 23, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will enter the Syrian side of the Turkish-Syrian border, outside the area of Operation Peace Spring to facilitate the removal of YPG/PKK elements and their weapons 30 kilometers (19 miles) off Turkey’s border in northern Syria, which should be finalized in 150 hours.
The deal came after Erdogan paid a one-day working visit to Russia’s coastal city of Sochi to meet with Putin to discuss Syria and Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, which was launched on Oct. 9, to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.
“All YPG elements and their weapons will be removed from Manbij and Tal Rifat [northern Syrian district],” according to the deal.
Turkey and Russia will launch joint efforts to facilitate to return of refugees in a “safe and voluntary” manner.
“A joint monitoring and verification mechanism will be established to oversee and coordinate the implementation of this memorandum,” it added.
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