- Title: Turkey, Russia agree Kurdish YPG withdrawal, joint patrols - Erdogan
- Date: 22nd October 2019
- Summary: SOCHI, RUSSIA (OCTOBER 22, 2019) (RUSSIAN POOL) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, ARRIVING FOR JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE ERDOGAN AND PUTIN HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE ERDOGAN'S SPOKESMAN, IBRAHIM KALIN, LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE PARTLY OVERLAYS ON VARIOUS SHOTS OF AUDIENCE LISTENING AND WIDE OF ERDOGAN SPEAKING) "Starting 1200 pm noon of October 23, within 150 hours, YPG terrorists and their arms will be taken out of 30 km depth. Their fortifications and positions will be destroyed. After 150 hours, in the west and the east of the area of Operation Peace Spring with a depth of 10 km, Turkish and Russian joint patrol will begin. All YPG terrorists in Tel Rifaat and Manbij will be taken off this area together with their arms." TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, AND ENERGY MINISTER, BERAT ALBAYRAK, LISTENING ERDOGAN AND PUTIN SHAKING HANDS ERDOGAN AND PUTIN AT PODIUMS RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV, AND CAVUSOGLU MAKING STATEMENT ERDOGAN AND PUTIN LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE PARTLY OVERLAYS ON SHOTS OF ERDOGAN AND PUTIN LISTENING) "Starting 1200 pm noon 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 ensure the removal of YPG elements and their weapons to the depth of 30 km from the Turkish-Syrian border. This process will be finalized in 150 hours. At that moment, joint Russian-Turkish patrols will start in the west and the east of the area of Operation Peace Spring with a depth of 10 km, except Qamishli." ERDOGAN AND PUTIN LEAVING
- Embargoed: 5th November 2019 17:47
- Keywords: Russia Turkey Syria Vladimir Putin Tayyip Erdogan
- Location: SOCHI, RUSSIA
- City: SOCHI, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001B26JDC7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Turkey and Russia agreed on Tuesday (October 22) to remove the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia to beyond 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, after which their troops will jointly patrol a narrower strip of land in the "safe zone" that Ankara has long sought in northern Syria.
Beginning at noon (0900 GMT) on Wednesday (October 23), Russian military police and Syrian border guards will move in to facilitate the removal of YPG members and weapons to beyond the zone in a mission that should take about six days, according to the deal.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish and Russian troops would conduct joint patrols in northern Syria within 10 km of the border.
The YPG, which led the Kurdish SDF forces that for years were U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State, will also leave the towns of Tel Rifaat and Manbij under the deal struck between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's Sochi resort on the Black Sea.
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