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Turkey welcomes possible participation of US in Syria talks ― Foreign Ministry

However, Ankara strongly opposes the involvement of the Syrian Kurds in the upcoming consultations
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu EPA/NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/POOL
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
© EPA/NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/POOL

ANKARA, December 30. /TASS/. Turkey has nothing against the participation of a US delegation in the talks on the Syrian settlement due to be held in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in late January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.

"We welcome the (possible) US participation in the meeting in Astana," the Al Arabiya TV channel quotes him as saying.

However, Ankara strongly opposes the involvement of the Syrian Kurds in the upcoming consultations. According to Cavusoglu, organizations like the Democratic Union and the self-defense forces of the Syrian Kurds (designated as terrorist organizations in Turkey) should not be represented in Astana.

He noted though that the Kurds could be included in the comprehensive agreement on Syria, if the units of the Democratic Union and self-defense forces of the Syrian Kurds lay down arms and support Syria’s territorial integrity.