Russian FM to K24: Kurds should not be ‘lured’ by Americans

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In response to a question from Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Kurds not to pursue any separatist agenda in Syria at the behest of the United States, warning that this could inflame the wider region.

“How is your work on the resolution of the Syrian crisis going?” a K24 correspondent asked Lavrov. “What is Russia’s proposal for an agreement that brings all parties together on the future of Syria?”

"The Kurds should see themselves as a part of the Syrian society,” Lavrov answered. “We have strong relations with the Kurdish representatives. We are ready to work together to protect all the rights and interests of the Kurds within the framework of the constitutional procedure in the talks on Syria."

The Russian foreign minister also advised Kurds not to “be lured by our American colleagues who are seeking to nourish separatist tendencies in eastern Syria and make these plans a serious irritator targeted against the interests of preserving Syria’s integrity.”

“These are dangerous games that may lead to a situation when the Kurdish problem blazes up in the entire region, bearing in mind that it concerns not only Syria but other countries as well,” he added.

Lavrov made the comments following talks with visiting Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See’s (Vatican) Secretariat of State.

In Syria, the United States military has been partnered with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for several years against the Islamic State (ISIS). However, the US has never advocated for the partition of the Syrian state nor the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in that war-torn country’s northeast.

Editing by Paul Iddon.