Russia negotiating deployment of Kyrgyz and Kazakh contingents in Syria
According to the head of the State Duma Defense Committee Vladimir Shamanov , Moscow is negotiating with Astana and Bishkek on the deployment of troops from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the de-escalation zones in Syria, as reported by RIA Novosti.
Shamanov sad that the Russian authorities are also in similar negotiations with Turkey.
“Negotiations are under way now, and the question is being worked out to ensure that the Russian military police take part in keeping order in Syria, as well as proposals to our colleagues from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The matter is being considered. There are ideas, and the negotiation process has begun, but no decision has been made yet,” Shamanov said.
Earlier, the representative of the President of Turkey, Ibrahim Kalyn, also said that during negotiations with the Russian President’s special representative in Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, the possibility of deploying Kazakh and Kyrgyz military forces in the de-escalation zones in Syria was discussed.
“The Russians even proposed sending a certain number of Kyrgyz and Kazakh soldiers,” Ankara representative Haberturk was quoted as saying.
“However, all this requires detailed work: maps are studied, and we need to determine who will come from where, how many soldiers, and where they will be located. In other words, are 300 or 500 soldiers needed? More than a million people live in Idlib. The military is now discussing how many soldiers are needed for such a large number of people. We expect that at the meeting in Astana in July these issues will be specifically discussed,” RIA Novosti quoted Kalyn as saying.
Earlier, the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, the Russian Foreign Ministry, and the Kazakh Foreign Ministry confirmed that the next round of talks on Syria will be held in Astana on July 4-5.
The memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones was signed in the Kazakh capital on May 4th by Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Four zones are being created: in the province of Idlib, in the territories of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama; in the northern part of the province of Homs; in East Ghouta; and in the southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.