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Turkey’s operation in northern Syria to cause more escalation — Putin’s envoy

According to Alexander Lavrentyev, during the talks in Nur-Sultan, Russia will call upon its Turkish colleagues to refrain from this move and resolve the existing issues through a dialogue

NUR-SULTAN, June 15. /TASS/. Russia views a possible Turkish military operation in Syria as an unwise step that would lead to more escalation, the Russian president’s special envoy, Alexander Lavrentyev, told reporters on Wednesday.

"We believe that it [a Turkish military operation] would be an unwise move that may destabilize the situation, escalate tensions and cause a new round of hostilities in the country," he said.

According to Lavrentyev, during the talks in Nur-Sultan, Russia will call upon its Turkish colleagues to refrain from this move and resolve the existing issues through a dialogue.

"We are ready to provide all possible support in this matter," he added.

On June 3, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans to hold another military operation in northern Syria with the goal of including the cities of Tell Rifat and Manbij into its security zone, created along the border in October 2019. Turkey currently controls 10% of the Syrian territory, which is home to some 4.4 million people.

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