Syrian Kurds will be invited to Sochi talks in Russia
Syria’s Kurdish militants are assured that they would be represented in an upcoming round of talks mediated by Russia on the future of Syria.
Sipan Hemo, the commander of the People's Protection Units, the main Kurdish militia group also known as the YPG, said Wednesday that Russia would allow 155 representatives of Syria’s Kurdish region to attend the talks in Sochi next month.
Kurds now control territories in northern and northeastern Syria. They have been an influential force in the fight against the Daesh Takfiri terrorists although the government has mostly treated them like other armed factions that have opposed Damascus over the past six years.
However, the main barrier for the Kurds to attend the talks on Syria’s fate has been Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant group outlawed by Ankara.
Kurds have never been represented in the peace talks on Syria, whether hosted by the United Nations or other parties.
Talks in Sochi, Russia’s main resort on the Black Sea, are slated for January 29-30. Russia has yet to announce the full list of the invitees for the meeting, which follows a similar initiative by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Kazakhstan.
Many hope the talks could bring an end or significantly reduce the militancy in Syria although the United Nations insists that the initiative should not circumvent efforts led by the world body for reaching a political solution in Syria.
Many groups that have attended previous UN-led talks in Geneva, especially those close to Saudi Arabia, announced Monday that they would boycott the Sochi talks.
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