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Syria
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meets with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on January 29, 2020. Photo: KRG Presidency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Kurdish parties in Syria have to united to be able to undertake serious dialogue with all national groups in the future, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Kurdish media on Thursday.
“We wish our Syrian friends, and our friends in the [Syrian] Kurdish National Council, success in the fight against terror and resolving issues within the framework of a wholesome, constructive dialogue between all Syrians,” Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, and Special Presidential Representative on the Middle East, told Kurdish media during a meeting with representatives of the Syrian Kurdish National Council (ENKS).
“We always say that the Kurdish position has to be cohesive, united, constructive, and realistic to form the basis for dialogue with the other parties in a serious, responsible manner,” added Bogdanov.
Bogdanov arrived in Erbil on Wednesday to meet with Regional President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President, who is respected and has influence among the ENKS.
Russia intervened on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, as the regime was facing a complete breakdown and an overthrow by rebels. Since then, Russia has emerged as the main foreign player in the Syrian conflict.
“President Barzani expressed his worry for the future of the Kurdish people in Syria to the Special Russian Presidential Envoy and presented his opinion and suggestions for resolving the question of the Kurdish people in Syria,” a statement from Masoud Barzani’s office read.
“We hope the Syrian people, all the components of the Syrian society, Arabs, Kurds, and all ethnic and religious groups, to live in peace, in normal conditions, tolerance and peaceful co-existence,” Bogdanov added to media.
Russia doesn’t exercise pressure, but rather only makes suggestions and gives advice to Syrians “in our position as the friend of the Syrian people”.
“We support all solutions and all suggestions that are suitable to everyone’s position on the basis of balance of interests and mutual understandings.”
Ibrahim Bero, member of the foreign relations committee of ENKS, told Rudaw that the meeting “was good”, and partially focused on the condition of Syrian Kurdish areas.
“Russia’s stance is clear. It says that Kurds should unite, unify demands, that for Syria’s political situation be resolved based on international decisions, for the rights of Kurds and all other components be made clear in the future of Syria.”
Meetings will continue with Russians, who have promised to meet again, Biro added.
The Kurdish camp in Syria is divided along two lines. On one side are the ruling Kurdish parties in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (NES), and the other is ENKS. The official force of NES is the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
ENKS, on the other hand, has been in opposition to NES and SDF, and members of the group, who are backed by the KDP, have been exiled from the Kurdish-controlled areas of Northern Syria and their members arrested by the Kurdish-led authorities in Syria.
However, a Turkish October 9, 2019 invasion against the Kurdish-controlled areas in northeast Syria led to the weakening of the dominant Kurdish party in Rojava. Since then, with mediation of Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani, the SDF, through the now renowned commander Mazloum Kobani, has reached out to the ENKS.
The SDF has undertaken some confidence building measures in a bid to placate ENKS for unity. Among them was an announcement on December 17, lifting a ban on the ENKS in NES areas and allowing them to open offices.
Another measure has been that of releasing detained ENKS members and carrying out investigations to reveal the fate of missing ENKS members.
NES authorities have named unity among Kurdish parties “an existential matter."
However, some sticky issues remain. The membership of ENKS in the Turkish-backed Syrian Coalition is opposed by powerful figures in Rojava, claiming that the Syrian Coalition is against Kurds and calling on the ENKS to withdraw. The ENKS has two members in the Syrian Constitutional Committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution, while NES has none.
“We never put forth any such demand. On the contrary, it is the Syrian opposition that probably wants them to stay away from us. We want them to stay in the Geneva talks as part of the opposition so they can achieve something on behalf of the Kurdish people,” SDF Commander in chief Mazloum Kobani told al-Monitor in an interview on January 23.
Currently, talks between NES and the Syrian Regime in Damascus have stalled, since the regime refuses to recognize the autonomy Kurds have carved out in the area.
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