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Russian President Vladimir Putin (D) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Sochi press conference following marathon negotiations on Syria on October 22, 2019. Sergei CHIRIKOV / POOL / AFP

After a five-hour meeting in Sochi, Russia, Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin reached an agreement on Syria.

With our special correspondent in Sochi, Daniel Vallot

Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed a " historic " agreement. Vladimir Putin spoke of " decisive " solutions. After an interview of more than five hours, the two leaders finally reached an agreement by which Turkey undertakes not to resume its military offensive in northern Syria, in exchange for which Russia promises a withdrawal of Kurdish forces along the border.

" Starting at 12 o'clock on 23 October, the Russian military police and Syrian border guards will facilitate the removal of Kurdish elements and their weapons, at a depth of 30 kilometers along the border. This withdrawal must be effective after 150 hours, "said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

According to the terms of the agreement, the Syrian and Russian forces will have to control the entire border, except for the 120 kilometers that Turkey captured during its military offensive.

After 150 hours, Russian and Turkish troops will conduct joint patrols, east and west of the Turkish-controlled area, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

If Recep Tayyip Erdogan gets serious guarantees regarding his initial goal - the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the border area - Vladimir Putin can boast not only of having played the role of referee, but also of having extended the area of ​​influence of its main ally, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.