Lavrov urges UN envoy to invite Kurds to Syria peace talks

Lavrov urges UN envoy to invite Kurds to Syria peace talks

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, March 11 urged the UN's special envoy on Syria to include Kurds in upcoming talks that aim to resolve the five-year Syrian civil war, AFP reports.

"I am convinced that Staffan de Mistura should take such a decision," Lavrov told reporters at a joint news conference with his Chinese counterpart.

"Launching negotiations without the participation of this group would be a sign of weakness from the international community," Lavrov said.

Russia's top diplomat argued that holding talks on forming a new ruling structure in Syria to prepare constitutional reform and elections without Kurds would be "a most serious infringement of the rights of a large and significant group living in Syria."

Kurds are "allies both of the U.S. coalition and Russia" and control at least 15 percent of Syrian territory," Lavrov added, according to AFP.

Lavrov hit out at Turkey, saying that "only Turks are blocking the invitation of Kurds from the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD)," criticising this as "an ultimatum."

Turkey accuses the PYD of being the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

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