ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) Ankara and Moscow are in constant contact on Syrian issues, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Wednesday.
"We are holding talks with Russia, including within the Astana [peace process]. Now the Syrian Kurdish self-defense forces are trying to agree with the [Syrian government] regime and get Russian protection ... Russia understands that the Syrian issue is sensitive to us. Tomorrow we will continue to communicate with the Russian side, in the future as well," Kalin told reporters.
The Astana process trio, which includes Russia, Turkey and Iran, has been trying to bring the conflicting sides together to achieve peaceful settlement since the first meeting in the Kazakh capital of Nur Sultan (former Astana) in January 2017.
The Turkish incursion against Kurdish militias in northern Syria began on October 9 and is part of Ankara's long-standing goal to clear its border area of both Kurdish units and the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia). Ankara believes that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces controlling the area are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey.
Following the beginning of the military operation, Ankara has been a subject of criticism from governments around the world, which called the operation a violation of Syria's territorial integrity and the Astana peace process, which could have multiple negative consequences for the situation in the region.
