Russian FM meets Syrian opposition group that includes Kurdish party
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on Friday in Moscow with a Syrian opposition delegation headed by Ahmed al-Jarba, the head of the Syrian Peace and Freedom Front.
The visiting dignitaries included Dawud Dawud, the head of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), and Kurdish National Council (KNC) Chairman Saud al-Mulla.
The Peace and Freedom Front was formed by Kurdish, Assyrian, and Arabic parties from Syria in August 2020 in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria with the aim of uniting the Syrian opposition, including the KNC and other political groups.
According to a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed recent developments in Syria and Russia underlined the need to advance the political process according to UN Security Council Resolution 2554 and inter-Syrian dialogue.
UNSCR 2554, which the Security Council approved in 2015, has been the basis for the successive rounds in Geneva of UN-mediated peace talks on Syria.
“The Russian side reaffirmed its unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” it continued, “and stressed the need for intensified international efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria and the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.”
On the same day, the delegation also met with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow.
Last week, the KNC met with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow to discuss the ongoing and deadly Syrian crisis.
Read More: Syrian Kurdish faction meets with Russia’s deputy foreign minister in Moscow
Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev told Kurdistan 24 on Oct 27. on the sidelines of MERI Forum 2021 in Erbil that Russia hopes for the Syrian Kurds and Damascus to reach a deal.
Talks between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led self-administration have failed in the past, despite repeated Russian mediation and increased Turkish threats to attack the SDF.
Read More: Russia has 'excellent political dialogue' with Kurdistan Region's leadership: Ambassador
At the MERI Forum, Kutrashev also said that Russia had no issue with autonomy in Syria or in other countries.
In September, a delegation led by the President of the Executive Committee of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Ilham Ahmed, also met with Bogdanov in Moscow.
Read More: Syrian Kurdish delegation meets with Russian Deputy FM
Additionally, delegations from both the KNC, which is part of the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition, and the Democratic Union Party (PYD)-linked Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) were both in the US in late September to lobby for their respective causes.
The two parties previously held talks for several months in an initiative supported by the US and SDF since 2020 to resolve their disputes. However, since the Nov. 2020 US presidential elections, the talks have been suspended despite US calls for both sides to resume negotiations.