ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday said Moscow remains ready to assist Syrian Kurdish groups if requested, while denying reports that Syria's new authorities banned the Kurdish language. “I have not heard that the Kurdish language was banned, that is not the case at all,” Lavrov told Rudaw's Namo Abdulla in New York. Lavrov also said Russia would be willing to become involved if Kurdish groups wanted Moscow to play a role in their affairs. “If an interest ever arises from the relevant parties for Russia to play some role, we will be ready to get involved,” he said. “If there ever is any interest on the part of those groups in Russia playing a role, we are ready to listen to what they specifically might need.” Lavrov pointed to the integration agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), describing the process as “voluntarily agreed.” The SDF announced its dissolution as an independent military force on August 25 after completing its integration into the Syrian army. The move followed months of negotiations under agreements between Damascus and the Kurdish-led forces on integrating military and civilian institutions in northeast Syria into the state. The status of Kurdish-language education has remained a sensitive issue during that process. A Syrian presidential decree issued in January recognized Kurdish as a “national language” and allowed it to be taught as an elective subject, while Arabic remained the country's sole official language. On Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said an agreement had been reached to provide education in Kurdish in Kurdish-inhabited areas, with the Education Ministry preparing implementation measures. Lavrov also recalled Russia's previous contacts with the SDF, saying Kurdish forces had turned to Moscow for help in 2019 after then-US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw American troops from northeast Syria. “When, let's say, the Americans stopped supporting them—there was a moment, back during Donald Trump's first term, when he announced that they were leaving northeastern Syria—then the Syrian Democratic Forces immediately turned to us,” Lavrov said. “We began to help. Then the Americans returned. And the Syrian Democratic Forces lost interest in us.” Russia has previously played a mediating role in contacts between Kurdish authorities and Damascus. In October 2019, Moscow helped broker an agreement that brought Syrian government forces into parts of the Kurdish-held northeast following a Turkish offensive. Russia has maintained a military presence in Syria despite the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, with its facilities at Hmeimim and Tartous undergoing negotiations with the new Syrian government. A new memorandum agreed in August provides for Russian military facilities to become joint training centers while allowing Moscow to maintain a presence.
