Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today hosted Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas for talks on the Syrian conflict and Moscow’s potential support for Kurdish groups fighting ISIS. “The people of Turkey have no responsibility in the current crisis”, he said.
Advertisement
Christmas Eve Forecast: Record-shattering warmth today
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in some parts of the country, but in others it feels more like a typical spring day. Green Christmas wins out this year with record-breaking temperatures making for a holiday that could get Heat Miser singing.
Demirtaş said the downing of the Russian jet was “not a right move” but added that the crisis should not be allowed to hurt the Turkish and Russian peoples.
Two Arrested In Latest Counter-Terror Raids In Western Sydney
A police source told the ABC that the Merrylands home of Salihy raided this morning was also raided earlier this month. Police say their investigation disrupted the terror plot.
During a meeting with lawmakers, the prime minister also condemned what he said were Russian air force strikes on Sunday on rebel-held Idlib.
Turkish forces and PKK engage in intense clashes
The three-decade conflict between Turkish security forces and the PKK rebels have claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people. Turkey and Russia have been at odds since Ankara downed a Russian jet last month saying it violated its airspace.
Speaking at the start of his meeting with Demirtaş, Lavrov said Russian-Turkish relations were not positive at the moment but added that this does not apply to the Turkish people. Moscow denies it had entered Turkish airspace.
“From the very first days, we declared as an opposition party in the country, that we do not support the position of worsening relations with Russian Federation”, said Demirtas, who heads the second-biggest opposition party in Turkey’s parliament.
The Turkish government has criticised the visit of the main Kurdish opposition party leader to Russian Federation.
The official added that USA authorities had received “credible allegations” of Russian strikes hitting facilities such as hospitals and schools and killing or wounding innocent people. The legitimacy of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad creates division between Qatar’s capital, Doha, and Moscow, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah said on Friday after talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
But Interfax news agency quoted a Russian diplomatic source as saying that under the law HDP cannot open an office in Russia, although it could still be represented by a private person or a non-government organization.
Advertisement
His death “stands as one of the most significant opposition losses” of Syria’s almost five-year uprising, analyst Charles Lister said on Twitter. “This mentality is no different than that of the collaborators with the foreign invaders during [Turkey’s post-World War I] War of Independence”, Davutoğlu said.
