MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : THE PUTIN  PLAGUE –  Russia shows no objection to buffer zone in northeast Syria, supports Kurds in constitutional committee

Hisham Arafat | 2 hours ago KURDISTA24  – The Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev speaks about the buffer zone in northeast Syria and the Kurds’ involvement in the constitutional committee, Moscow, Russia, August 27, 2019.

MOSCOW (Kurdistan 24)— The Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, on Tuesday expressed support and a positive attitude toward the US-Turkey buffer zone in northeastern Syria and the Kurds’ involvement in the constitutional committee.

“Discussions are continuous on areas of crisis in the war-torn country, especially north and east of the Euphrates, where we want peace to prevail, and we support the Kurds to play their role effectively and equally like the other components of the region and in the constitutional committee,” he told Kurdistan 24.

Lavrentiev further explained that Russia has no agreement with the US-led coalition regarding the buffer zone to be established in northeast Syria, yet he expressed no objection.

“Regarding the buffer zone, we don’t have any agreement with the global coalition. I mean, there is no agreement signed between the Russian Air Force and the global coalition forces, but we all know that no tension occurred so far, and we hope no problem occurs in the coming days,” he explained.

Two weeks ago, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, confirmed the Russian stance toward Kurdish rights in Syria as ‘still supportive.’

A roadmap presented to Damascus and Moscow in January by the local Kurdish-backed administration proposed that the northeast of Syria remain autonomous from Damascus.

Yet, Russia has thus far supported the position of Damascus, which has not changed its position and still opposes any form of Kurdish demands for autonomy.

Russia has also said in the past that it is difficult for Moscow to be a broker between Damascus and the self-administration in the northeast while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remains a close ally to the US.

Editing by Nadia Riva

(Additional reporting by Khoshawi Mohammed)

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