Its signature may lead to a normalisation of the situation in Syria, but everything will be decided by its implementation

The image of the two men meeting, having discarded their military uniforms and put on suits, illustrates how leaders can seize the moment and opt for peace over war.

The Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls much of Syria's oil-rich northeast, signed a deal with the Damascus government to join Syria's new state institutions.