Turkey and Russia have resumed joint military patrols in northern Syria after nearly a year’s break, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced Saturday. Combined patrols began in the Operation Peace Spring area, the statement said, referring to a 30-km-deep strip of land on the Syrian side of the Turkey-Syria border between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. The territory was captured from Kurdish fighters by Turkish and allied Syrian forces in 2019.

The renewed Turkish-Russian patrols come as Ankara is trying to repair its relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime draws support from Moscow. Assad has said he will only meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria and an end to Ankara’s support for Syrian fighters that Damascus considers terrorists.