Russia's Envoy calls Turkiye to show restraint in Syria

Shafaq News/ Russia calls on the Turkiye for restraint to prevent further escalation in Syria, the presidential Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, told reporters on Tuesday.

"We will call on our Turkish colleagues to show certain restraint to prevent an escalation of tension, not only in the northern and northeastern regions of Syria but through the entire country. We believe that we should continue working with all interested parties and try to find some right solution, including on the so-called Kurdish issue," he said ahead of the start of the international meeting on the Syrian settlement in the Astana format.

The diplomat recalled that the Turkish air operation "Claw-Sword" was justified by Ankara by the recent terrorist attack in the center of Istanbul, which killed six people and injured more than 80. Then the suspect in the attack admitted to having links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), banned in Turkiye.

"Over the past few months, since the beginning of this year, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his intention to conduct an operation [in Syria], the Russian Federation has done everything possible to prevent this from happening to at least prevent carrying out some large-scale offensive army operation on the ground. The Russian Federation has managed to do this, and we hope it will be possible to convince our Turkish partners to refrain from the excessive force on Syrian territory," Lavrentiev stressed.

"Moscow believes there is a need to address the increased activities of terrorist groups in Syria." He said.

"We will consider the current security situation. Terrorist organizations have stepped up their activities in the country; it's not just about the so-called ISIS but also others in central Syria, in the country's south, or Idlib. In the northeast, beyond the Euphrates River," he pointed out.

"We believe that it's important to consider the issue and agree on further actions in this regard to ensure a sustainable ceasefire in certain areas because a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, which is often called for, is hardly achievable under the current conditions, given the increased activities of terrorist groups," Lavrentyev emphasized.

Western countries seek to use the Syria issue for confrontation with Moscow, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Lavrentyev told reporters.

"I must mention the destructive role that the West is currently playing. We can see that it's trying to use the Syria issue for confrontation with Russia on yet another front, which is rather regrettable," he said.

According to Lavrentyev, Russia, in contrast, believes that the international community should unite and foster joint efforts to stabilize the situation in Syria.

Overnight on November 20, Turkey held air operation "Claw-Sword" in northern Iraq and Syria, involving over 50 aircraft and 20 drones. Strikes were delivered on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) deployment sites, which is outlawed in Turkiye, and its Syrian offshoot, the National Defense Forces. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation was successful, noting that main bases and sites with dense concentrations of terrorists were eliminated.

On Monday, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that the Turkish armed forces had killed 184 terrorists in Syria and Iraq in two days of air operation "Claw-Sword."

According to Turkish media reports, on Monday, Turkish F-16 fighter jets resumed strikes on Syrian regions after Turkish border towns came under fire from Syria.