ANKARA (MEMO) – Turkey and Russia have resumed joint patrols along the northern border of Syria after a four-week hiatus.
According to local sources, a joint patrol made up of eight Russian and Turkish army vehicles, accompanied by two Russian helicopters, left the village of Ashma, west of Ayn al-Arab in the countryside to the east of Aleppo.
The sources said that the patrol covered the villages of Jarqli Fawqani, Qaran, Dikmdash, Khorkhori, Boban and Gul Bek all the way to Tal Shair, 4 kilometers west of Kobani.
The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria said earlier that the Turkish army did not participate in the joint patrols in Syria over the past two weeks but provided no reason for this.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin explained that the situation on the border between Turkey and Syria is still difficult, in light of Turkey’s threat to launch a military operation against the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces there.
“The situation on the Syrian-Turkish border is, of course, difficult,” added Vershinin, “but I believe that if we address the concerns of both sides on the basis of a firm commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the situation can be resolved.”
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, has also said that his country is still trying to persuade Ankara not to launch a ground operation in Syria, indicating that there is some degree of success in Moscow’s efforts.