Russia Hopes Common Sense Will Prevail to Invite Kurds to Syria Peace Talks

Russia hopes that common sense will prevail and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will invite Syrian Kurds to the peace talks in Geneva, Russian UN Envoy in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said.

GENEVA (Sputnik) – According to Borodavkin, Russia hopes that “common sense and logic in the negotiations will force the EU Special Envoy’s office to make the right decision and the Kurds will be represented in the dialogue.”

“Russia and a range of other countries from the [International Syria Support Group] believe that Syrian Kurds should participate in the negotiations. This is our principle position,” Borodavkin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Ankara views Kurdish self-defense forces in northern Syria and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) separatists in southeastern Turkey as terrorist organizations. It actively opposes any Syrian Kurds' participation in political settlement talks.

Representatives from Syria’s internal opposition will participate in the current round of reconciliation talks in Geneva that will begin on March 14, Alexei Borodavkin said.

“These are the opposition figures who gathered at the conferences in Moscow and Cairo and the group that consolidated during the conference in Riyadh. Some other representatives from the internal opposition who are in Damascus will also need to be added. By the way, they are invited and will be participating in the negotiations in Geneva.”