Published 21:56 IST, October 14th 2019
Kremlin says it wants to avoid conflict with Turkey in Syria
The Kremlin said on October 14 that it would avoid any possibility of a conflict in Syria between Russian and Turkish forces
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The Kremlin said on October 14 that it would avoid any possibility of a conflict in Syria between Russian and Turkish forces. It further added that there were constant discussions with Ankara which also include talks at the military level. The response from the Kremlin came ahead of comments from the Syrian Kurdish leaders who recently made a deal with the Syrian Government. The deal which was struck with the Syrian Government was focused on the deployment of the Syrian troops along the Turkish border.
Syrian and Turkey troops to come in close proximity to one another
According to the deal, the Syrian troops were deployed to block the Turkish offensive in the northeast part of Syria. This particular area was blocked during which the United States informed that it would take back its remaining soldiers from northern Syria. After the United States took back its troops, the Syrian troops will directly encounter the Turkish army. The situation becomes tense for Moscow which will be stuck amid both the countries. It is a known fact that Moscow supports Syrian troops with air power and maintains strong relations with Turkey.
Russia will avoid any kind of conflict
The question that everyone is asking is will Russia encourage any encounter with Turkish forces because of its support and inclination towards the Syrian army, and could that lead to a conflict? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded saying conflict is the last thing they want. As of now, they don’t want to think about the conflict situation. Peskov further added that it has released a warning for all those who side with Syria, to avoid any kind of conflict that could possibly lead to an escalation in the tense areas or affect the political relations between the countries.
Turkish President acknowledged Putin's positive approach
On the other hand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that from his perspective there will be no escalations that would emerge in Syria’s Kobani once the Syrian troops are deployed along the border. He also acknowledged the ‘Positive approach’ of Russian President Vladimir Putin towards the decisions made by Turkey. The Kremlin, however, did acknowledge Ankara’s needs to focus on the issues related to national security arising in northern Syria. However, he refused to comment on whether Turkey should execute its operations inside Syria.
21:39 IST, October 14th 2019