Kremlin: Russia and Turkey have different views on status of Kurds in Syria
Russia and Turkey did not come to an agreement as to which Kurdish units in Syria should be considered as terrorist, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Vietnamese and Chinese television channels.
"We don’t see eye to eye as to what Kurdish groups should be designated as terrorist. Turkey has a special position. We understand its concerns but there is a need to separate the wheat from the chaff and figure out which Kurdish units are extremist and pose a threat to Turkey," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.
According to Lavrov, the United States created a number of problems in the north-east of Syria since they relied on Kurds who were given Arab lands, which caused Turkey's irritation and concern.
“Maybe Washington’s plan was to create so many problems so that they can lead the process the way they like,” Lavrov suggested.
Turkey considers the Kurdish units in north-eastern Syria as terrorist and has repeatedly brought up the possibility of a military solution to the problem. The question was raised again after the US announced that it is withdrawing from Syria. At the same time, Washington does not want Damascus to regain control of north-eastern Syria, moreover, it was previously reported about the US attempt to create Syrian Kurdistan, a new autonomous region within the Syrian territory.