Turkey and Russia have agreed on a historic deal under which Ankara and Moscow will carry out joint patrolling in northern Syria to facilitate the removal of Kurdish militants and their weapons.

The deal came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a day-long visit to Russia's coastal city of Sochi to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss Syria and Turkey's Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria.  

The deal, which will come into effect from 0900 Hour GMT today was announced by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

It emphasized both countries’ determination to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations and to disrupt separatist agendas in the Syrian territory.

The two sides also reiterated their commitment to the preservation of the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria and the protection of national security of Turkey.

NNR/Khokhar