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Russian helicopters fly in first patrol in northeastern Syria

Chief of the Russian reconciliation center Yury Borenkov said that "Russia continues its efforts toward implementing provisions of the Russian-Turkish memorandum of understanding"

MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. Russian helicopters have carried out their first aerial patrol in northeastern Syria in line with provisions of the October 22 Russian-Turkish memorandum of understanding, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Major-General Yury Borenkov told journalists on Thursday.

"Russia continues its efforts toward implementing provisions of the Russian-Turkish memorandum of understanding passed on October 22, 2019," Borenkov said. "Army aircraft have carried out aerial patrol on the following route — the Kwaires airfield, the settlement of Ayn Issa, Raqqa, along the Assad reservoir to the Kwaires airfield," he added.

Russian military police on Thursday continued patrolling the route of Ayn Issa-Alau-Tal Am-Tal Saman-Hazimeh, Borenkov noted.

On October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum on joint actions aimed at resolving the crisis in northeastern Syria. In accordance with the document, on October 23, Russian military police and Syrian border guards were deployed to the areas bordering the 30-kilometer safe zone, which Turkey is trying to set up.

On October 29, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that the Kurds had completed the withdrawal of their armed units from that safe zone. On November 1, Russian and Turkish military servicemen carried out the first joint patrol of the area east of the Euphrates river.