Russia: Terrorist PKK/PYD won't be at Sochi Syria talks

By Zuhal Demirci, Kubra Chohan

ANKARA

The terrorist PKK/PYD will not be included in a planned Syria meeting next month in Sochi, Russian media reports quoted a Russian official saying on Friday.

“The PKK's participation is not foreseen for now” at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress at the Black Sea resort, set for Jan. 29-30, Russia's Syria Envoy Alexander Lavrentiev told reporters.

“We made an effort to have Kurds represented as much as possible, while on the other hand avoiding objections from Turkey,” he added.

Asked if some Kurdish delegations would be removed from the list due to objections from Turkey and Iran, Lavrentiev commented: “I think we will decide this matter among ourselves.”

Earlier in the day, Turkey vetoed the involvement of the PKK/PYD or any related groups at the planned gathering.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly said they reject the presence of any terrorist groups at the Syria talks.

The PKK/PYD is the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK.

More than 1,200 people in Turkey, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.

During the Astana, Kazakhstan talks on Syria, the Turkish delegation was chaired by Deputy Foreign Undersecretary Sedat Onal, with Lavrentiev leading the Russian delegation, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari heading Iran’s.

Representatives of the Syrian regime, armed opposition groups, as well as delegations from the UN, Jordan, and the U.S., also participated in the talks.

The next high-level international meeting on Syria in Astana will be held in the second half of February 2018.