Kremlin urges Turkey not to 'destabilize' Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Aug 17:00
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Russia urges Turkey not to jeopardize the territorial and political integrity of Syria.

Presidents Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Vladimir Putin of Russia (Archive)

Ahead of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the Kremlin urged Ankara not to "destabilize" Syria with a military offensive.

"Turkey has legitimate concerns for security reasons, which we, of course, take into account," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"It is very important not to allow any action that could lead to destabilization of the situation in Syria, or that could jeopardize the territorial and political integrity of Syria," he added.

Putin and Erdogan are scheduled to meet later on Friday in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Syria, according to Peskov.

The two leaders will also discuss Ukraine during their meeting.

For months, Turkey's president has threatened to launch an operation against what it describes as Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on May 23 that the Turkish army intends to carry out military operations to "combat terrorism" at the Turkish state borders, explaining that his government "will start taking new steps to complete the safe zone 30 km north of Syria."

At the time, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a message earlier to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council protesting against Turkey's plans to establish a "safe zone" on Syrian soil. Damascus considered the move "a form of aggression" and "an act of colonization through which the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to create an [unstable] outpost in Syria."

On June 14, Turkish media reported that Ankara's troops have taken combat formation and are all set to start Turkey's fifth military operation on the northern Syrian border, which it claims is aimed at the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its military wing, the YPG.

Putin expressed Russia's opposition to Erdogan's planned offensive at a summit in Tehran last month. It is worth noting that Turkey played a role in resuming Ukrainian grain shipments across the Black Sea.