05.10.2020, Moscow.
The Kurdish problem may explode due to actions of USA, the head of Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov stated at a press-conference on October 5.
The minister said that the United States is trying to create Kurdish autonomy in Syria with “quasi-state functions.” Lavrov added that the USA persuaded the Turkish side not to oppose this process.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that such a policy could “blow up” the Kurdish problem, which would lead to a sharp deterioration of the situation in the region.
The Syrian authorities do not recognize the Kurdish autonomous administration, which controls the territory east of the Euphrates River.
Background
On October 9, 2019, Turkey launched the Operation Peace Spring against the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern Syria east of the Euphrates River. Ankara announced the following objectives of the operation: to dislodge the Kurds from the 30-40 km of gray area along the entire Syrian-Turkish border east of the Euphrates and then to move into this area Syrian refugees, who fled from the hostilities to the Turkish territory.
Turkey used Ankara-backed Syrian opposition groups as strike groups. The Turkish military supported them with artillery and aviation. The same groups remained in the territories occupied during the operation.
On October 22, 2019 in Sochi, during negotiations between Russia and turkey, a truce agreement was reached. But Turkish-backed militants regularly violated it and opened fire on the Kurds positions in the provinces of Raqqa and Hasakah. The SDF often open return fire. Therefore, the situation in the area, where the Operation Peace Spring is conducted, cannot be called peaceful.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
