Turkey, Russia start joint patrols on Syria's Idlib highway

The first Turkish-Russian joint land patrol was carried out on M4 highway in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, Turkish National Defence Ministry announced on Sunday.

The ministry said on Twitter that the joint land patrol was carried out with the participation of land and air elements as part of the agreement reached in Moscow between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The ministry said that the joint land patrol in Idlib was carried out with the coordination between Turkish and Russian joint coordination centres by taking necessary measures to prevent possible provocations and harm to the civilian population in the region.

The two countries on Sunday launched their first joint military patrol along the key M4 highway in Idlib region, following a ceasefire agreement earlier this month, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia sent military police and armoured vehicles to the patrol, which started from the settlement of Tronba in Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in the country, TASS, Interfax and RIA-Novosti news agencies said.

Idlib ceasefire

Turkey and Russia agreed on the details of the ceasefire in the Idlib region after four days of talks in Ankara, part of the joint effort to halt an escalation of violence that has displaced nearly a million people and brought Turkey and Russia closer to direct confrontation.

On Friday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar announced the date of the first joint patrol of Turkey and Russia, adding that the two countries will establish joint coordination centres in the region.

Erdogan and Putin on March 5 agreed on a new ceasefire for Idlib.

Under the deal, all military activities are to end in Idlib with the establishment of a security corridor 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) to the north and south of the key M4 highway.