Nursultan, 16.06. (Prensa Latina) Russia’s special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, today indicated that his country had urged Turkey to refrain from a military operation in northern Syria and stressed that it would continue to insist.
At a press conference in this city on the results of the international meeting on Syria in the Astana format, the senior official warned that Ankara has not yet made a final decision on the planned operation, so Russia is in talks with the Turkish side, so stop it.
“We have frankly told our Turkish friends that this may lead to a further escalation of the situation, even an armed confrontation. This could stimulate separatist sentiments in the so-called autonomous administration of Northeast Syria, something of no interest to Turkey, Russia, Iraq or Iran,” he said.
According to the Russian representative at the meeting, Moscow continues to see opportunities to find other ways to solve the existing problems, including ending the ongoing bombing, including on Turkish territory.
“We must continue to work with all parties. Some sort of solution to this problem must be attempted without resorting to violent methods,” stressed the special envoy, who warned that the presence of US forces in northeastern Syria was a factor to consider.
According to the Russian representative, Ankara will not fully solve its national security problems by launching a new military operation in northern Syria.
“Turkey’s national security problems, in my opinion, can only be solved if Syrian government forces take full control of the territories’ borders,” he stressed.
For Lavrentiev, “unfortunately we don’t see it yet, it’s true that the Kurdish self-defense units in particular will remain there.”
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