CAIRO (Sputnik) — The co-chairman of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD), Salih Muslim, said on Thursday that his discussions with Russian diplomats in Moscow focused on his party being allowed into the Syrian peace talks in Geneva.
"In Moscow we discussed the Democratic Union Party, alongside several other groups, joining the talks in Geneva. They [Russian diplomats] have confirmed their support for us and said that they will help us in joining the Geneva talks on political settlement in Syria. I am sure that we will participate in them," Muslim told RIA Novosti.
The Kurdish leader met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow on February 8. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian side confirmed its support for the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution, stipulating the full representation of Syria's opposition forces at the Geneva peace talks. Moscow sees the inclusion of Kurds as being key to a stable and effective outcome to the talks, the ministry said.
According to Muslim, he has not so far received an invitation to the intra-Syrian talks. The UN-brokered talks on Syrian reconciliation began in Geneva in late January, but were later put on hold until February 25.
