Russian chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov will pay a visit to Turkey on Thursday to discuss military cooperation and the Syrian crisis.

According to the statement released by Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konasenkov, the Russian general will travel to Turkey to talk with his Turkish counterpart General Hulusi Akar.

The United States and Russia agreed a plan to impose a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war and lay the foundation for a peace process last Friday. The Syrian truce was extended by a further 48 hours following an agreement between both sides.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), partnering with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces, initiated Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 to liberate northern Syria towns from regional terror groups such as Daesh, PYD and PKK.



More than 300,000 people have been killed in the five-and-a-half-year war in Syria, while UN peace efforts have failed to unite the many players in the conflict behind a political settlement.

Relations between Turkey and Russia hit a low in November 2015 after Turkish jets downed a Russian Su-24 bomber near the Syrian border for violating Turkish airspace. Erdoğan and Putin exchanged harsh ultimatums in the wake of the jet crisis and the Kremlin imposed sanctions that continue to deal a heavy blow to Turkey's tourism sector.



Relations between the two countries remained sour until the issue became largely resolved on June 29 after a letter and subsequent telephone calls between the two countries' leaders.

Putin gave his support to Turkey after the July 15 failed coup attempt and said he stood by the elected government, offering his condolences to the victims of the attempt.

On July 22, Russia also lifted restrictions on flights to Turkey, which had been implemented temporarily following the coup attempt, after Turkish officials assured their Russian counterparts that additional security measures were being taken.