Russia, Qatar to encourage Syrian opposition to talk to govt

A Russian Su-24M bomber was shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet over Turkey-Syrian border on November 24.

Meanwhile, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) swiftly and fiercely reacted against Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s charge of “treason” against them on the grounds they had not sided with his government’s view concerning recent tension between Ankara and Moscow, calling the prime minister’s stance “unacceptable and inconsistent”.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, in an interview with Interfax news agency, that the ceasefire is “meant to happen between parties of the Syrian domestic conflict” but that “this doesn’t mean an end to war on IS and other terrorist groups”.

After Moscow started to beef up its forces in Syria in an attempt to help Assad against moderate Syrian rebel forces – which had been supported by the USA and Turkey in the last months of 2015 – the fragile balance of power has shifted in the Middle East once again.

Russian grain exporters have resumed deals with Turkish buyers after a short break caused by a deterioration in relations between the two countries, traders and analysts said. The incident dramatically exposed the increasing gap between Russian Federation and Turkey and their differing interests in Syria.

Russian Federation says it has spotted some 12,000 tankers and trucks that are smuggling oil from territories held by Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq to Turkey.

Moscow’s overtures to the Kurds, who make up the second largest opposition in parliament, are sure to further strain relations with Turkey and can be seen as a slap at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking to reporters after the talks, al-Attiyah accused Assad of supporting terrorist groups while Lavrov insisted that “it’s up to the Syrian people” to decide Assad’s future.

Russian Federation has said it is targeting the Islamic State, but it has faced widespread criticism that its strikes have focused largely on opposition group sites. He said, however, that Russian Federation was less concerned about collateral damage in Syria.

Russia’s outreach comes as Kurdish politicians accuse Davutoglu’s AK Party government of using indiscriminate force, including tanks and helicopters, in security operations to dislodge Kurdish militants from several towns in the country’s southeast.