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.

Syria’s interim government says it has reached a landmark agreement with Kurdish-led forces to integrate them into state institutions as it tries to unify the country’s diverse communities after a decade of civil war.

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,

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.

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 scenes of elation following Monday night's declaration came in sharp contrast to the grim scenes in coastal communities wracked by days of clashes.