The Kremlin’s envoy to Syria yesterday called Turkey’s military offensive in northeast Syria “unacceptable” and denied Ankara’s operation had been cleared by Moscow in advance, Russian news agencies reported.
Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to Syria, was speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi during an official visit there by Putin.
He made his comments after Turkey ignored new sanctions from the US to press as it pressed on with its assault on northern Syria, while the Russia-backed Syrian army entered one of the most hotly contested cities, filling a void created by US President Donald Trump’s abrupt retreat.
Photo: AFP
Asked if there had been an advance agreement between Russia and Turkey about Ankara’s operation, Lavrentiev was cited as saying: “No. We had always urged Turkey to show restraint and always considered some kind of military operation on Syrian territory unacceptable.”
Lavrentiev’s comments, which suggest growing tensions between Turkey and Russian, came a day after the Kremlin complained that Turkey’s incursion was “not exactly” compatible with Syrian territorial integrity.
“The security of the Turkish-Syrian border must be ensured by the deployment of Syrian government troops along its entire length,” Lavrentiev said. “That’s why we never spoke in favor or supported the idea of Turkish units [being deployed there] let alone the armed Syrian opposition.”
Lavrentiev confirmed that Russia had brokered an agreement between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces that saw the Kurds cede control of territory to Syrian troops.
Those talks had taken place at Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria among other places, he said.
Meanwhile, the UN warned that reported summary executions of civilians in northeastern Syria carried out by pro-Turkish fighters could amount to a “war crime” and that Ankara could be “deemed responsible.”
The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces said over the weekend that at least nine civilians were “executed” as part of Turkey’s incursion into northeastern Syria, which began nearly a week ago.
Among them was 35-year-old Hevrin Khalaf, secretary-general of the Future Syria Party, who according to the forces was taken out of her car and killed by Turkish-allied Syrian fighters.
The UN rights office said its staff had viewed two separate pieces of video footage “showing what appear to be summary executions carried out by fighters belonging to the Ahrar al-Sharqiya armed group, which is affiliated with Turkey, on 12 October.”
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