Turkey’s foreign minister says Ankara is closely monitoring an agreement between the Syrian government and a U.S-backed Kurdish-led armed group.

The agreement marked a major victory for Damascus in its quest to unify the country, as violent unrest continues to grip Syria’s coastal region.

It was a development in the Syrian drama almost as unexpected as the stunningly swift fall of the Assad regime that had dominated this country for decades.

Turkey’s top diplomat, defense minister and intelligence chief paid a sudden visit to Damascus. The visit Thursday comes days after Syria’s interim government reached a deal to integrate a U.S backed Kurdish-led armed group,

By Timour Azhari, Phil Stewart, Jonathan Spicer and Suleiman Al-Khalidi DAMASCUS (Reuters) -The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus,

The agreement was signed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syria’s interim government says it has reached a landmark agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the group into state institutions.

Syria's interim government said it has reached a landmark agreement to integrate Kurdish-led forces into state institutions as it continues to try to unify the country following years of civil war.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed an agreement between the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria's new government, saying all Syrians stood to gain from the deal. "The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday in Syria will contribute to the country’s security and stability.

Turkey is "cautiously optimistic" about an agreement between the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria's new government, a Turkish official said on Tuesday, adding Ankara wanted to first see how it would be implemented.