Russia calls on Turkey for self-control in northern Syria – Lavrentiev
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, Russian presidential Special Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, said his country calls on Turkey to restrain from “excessive use of force” in Syria’s north, as the west seeks to exploit Syrian issue for confrontation with Russia.
Ahead of the start of the meeting on the Syrian settlement in the Astana format, Lavrentiev told reporters, “We will call on our Turkish colleagues to show certain restraint” to prevent more escalation through the “entire country [Syria].”
On November 20, the cities of Kobani, Derik (al-Malikiyah), and the northern countryside of Aleppo, in addition to other areas on Syrian-Turkish border were targeted by Turkish warplanes, killing 13 people, including civilians and fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to a statement released by the SDF.
Turkish forces and their affiliated armed Syrian opposition factions, also known as Syrian National Army (SNA), continue immensely targeting areas in north and northeast Syria with artillery shells, drones and airstrikes.
The Russian News Agency Tass cited Lavrentiev as saying, “We should try find some right solution, including on the so-called Kurdish issue.”
The Russian Presidential envoy claimed that Russia had used every possible mean to prevent Turkey from launching a military operation few months ago.
Lavrentiev hoped that his country will manage to “convince our Turkish partners to refrain from the excessive use of force on Syrian territory.”
The Turkish airstrikes also targeted posts of the Syrian government forces, killing 13 soldiers and wounding seven others.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed on Monday that there are talks with parties to the conflict of Syria to carry out a ground military operation on northern Syria and northern Iraq.
Lavrentiev added that the west is playing a “destructive role…trying to use the Syria issue for confrontation with Russia on yet another front.”
He expressed his belief that the international community should show solidarity to fulfill stabilization in Syria, according to Tass.