Russian and Turkish servicemen have held a joint training drill in the de-escalation zone in the Syrian province of Idlib, a spokesperson of the de-escalation zone's coordination centre told journalists, Sputnik news reports. 

According to the spokesperson, the main aim of the drill was to practice coordination between Turkish and Russian servicemen in emergency situations, such as an attack on a convoy of militants.

"Coordination of military personnel directly involved in patrolling and the procedure for organizing communication on the route using special signals were worked out", the spokesperson said.

On Thursday, a Turkish source told Sputnik that negotiations between Turkish and Russian military on the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib have not resulted in any agreements. According to the source, Turkey has refused to leave checkpoints on the territories controlled by the Syrian army or reduce the number of its troops in the region.

Residents of the Syrian province of Idlib have staged protests against Turkish military presence in the country, Syrian media reported last week.

As of today, the province remains one of the four de-escalation zones, established by Russia, Iran, and Turkey back in 2017, that is not under the full control of Damascus. The Syrian government has been trying to recapture Idlib since mid-December.

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