Russia urges for including Kurds in Syria talks

A line-up of Russian bombers stand on tarmac as another plane takes off in the background at Hemeimeem air base in Syria on Wednesday Jan. 20 2016.

Rudskoi said that long-range Tu-22M3 bombers flying from Russian territory have joined the warplanes based in Syria in the last three days.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday insisted that UN-backed Syria talks planned to start later this week will not be successful if Kurdish representatives are not invited.

Western media outlets have reported that both Moscow and Washington are establishing covert military bases near Syria’s border with Turkey.

Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the military had no intention to set up any additional air base in Qamishli or advance airfields in Syria.

An air base in Qamishli would be more controversial because Turkey is against the Russians setting up a base just south of its border.

However, the Defense Ministry has repeatedly denied such reports as useless speculation by “armchair strategists”, since the Russian air group stationed in Syria can hit targets anywhere in the country already – eliminating the need to build another base.

“No one has asked for or offered any political asylum”, he said, adding that Assad had promised Putin to sit down for peace talks with opposition, including armed groups, and engage “patriotic” opposition in the fight against the Islamic State group alongside the Syrian army.

Lavrov said, in a press conference, that the missions of the Russian air force, upon request of the Syrian government, led to significant changes on the Syrian ground in fighting terrorism.

During a meeting with students on a visit to Stavropol in southern Russian Federation, he said Moscow’s goal is to help Damascus defeat “terrorists”.