Russia Calls for Dialogue between Damascus, Kurds
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for dialogue between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces in northern Syria amid reports of Ankara's upcoming incursion into the Arab country.
“We contacted both the representatives of the Kurdish side and the representatives of the government (Syria), and confirmed that we are encouraging them to start a dialogue to resolve the problems of this part of Syria, including the problems of ensuring security on the Turkish-Syrian border. As before, this is the only way to achieve stability,” Lavrov said at a news conference on Wednesday, according to Sputnik news.
“During my recent phone conversation with (my) Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, he confirmed that Ankara respects Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Russian diplomat said.
“We have repeatedly voiced our position on what is happening in northeast Syria, including in the Syrian-Turkish border region. And our position is unequivocal, based on the need to solve all the problems of this part of the Syrian Arab Republic through a dialogue between the central government in Damascus and representatives of the Kurdish communities that traditionally reside in this territory," Lavrov said.
Moscow is committed to promoting the dialogue between Kurds and Damascus since it sees it as "the only way toward stability," he said.
Washington's ambiguous position on Syria has proven its inability to negotiate, Lavrov stressed.
Turkey said on Tuesday it had completed preparations for a military operation in the northeast after the United States withdrew 50 American special forces from a section of the Turkish border on Monday.
