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Middle East and North Africa

Russian FM: Kurds’ desire to participate in Geneva-2 as separate delegation nothing to do with separatism

Syrian Kurds want equal treatment and say on national matters in Geneva

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 30. /Itar-Tass /. The desire of Syrian Kurds to take part in Geneva-2 conference as a separate delegation shows not separatism, but ambition to live in a united country. This was said today in a statement by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Moscow “sympathizes with such presentation of the problem which, in our view, represents not the breakaway moods of Syrian Kurds, but, on the contrary, the aim to live in a united, independent and democratic Syria where there’s no place for national strife or any sort of discrimination on ethnic, religious, language or any other grounds, where respect for lawful rights of all communities is guaranteed,” the Foreign Ministry noted.

“We believe that on the forthcoming Geneva conference Syrian Kurds should have such form of representation that allows them to declare their aspirations and defend them within the all-Syrian political process as equals,” the statement says.

Russian Foreign Ministry reminded of the official address of Syrian Kurds High Council /SKHC/ - an organization consolidating almost all political parties and movements of Syrian Kurds – made in May, 2013. It asked for help in providing this organization an equal representation in Geneva conference. This petition has been confirmed during the SKHC delegation visit to Moscow and its reception at Russia’s Foreign Ministry on June 4.

The Kurds explained their position by the ambition to participate in making decisions on all-Syrian issues and the impossibility to allow either to Syrian government or any other opposition group sole authority, as the matters concern national rights of all Kurds in Syria regardless of political sympathies or dislikes.

“As for the question /from journalists/ about the ‘independence of Syrian Kurdistan’, when communicating with Russia’s Foreign Ministry, no politician has raised it,” the representative of the ministry noted. “Our compelling stand is that we firmly follow the principles of international law based on UN Charter, which include respect for independence and territorial integrity of states, although their constitutions may, of course, provide for certain state structure and administration patterns”.

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