Russia calls Turkey's invasion of north Syria 'unacceptable'

[crazytown]

Source: Irish Times

Russia has said Turkey’s military assault on northeastern Syria is “unacceptable”, heaping pressure on Ankara as Moscow seeks to capitalise on a US withdrawal from the region to help Syrian president Bashar al-Assad reassert control.

Alexander Lavrentiev, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Syria, told reporters that the offensive launched last week by Turkey against Kurdish forces in the country’s northeast had not been agreed with Russia, which has emerged as the most influential foreign power in Syria.

In the harshest comments yet from a Russian official, Mr Lavrentiev said Moscow had “always believed that any military operation in Syrian territory is unacceptable”.

He said the security of the Turkish-Syrian border “should be ensured . . . by way of deploying government forces along the entire border” – a suggestion that directly conflicts with Ankara’s plan to control a 32km-deep stretch of the country’s northeast.

Read more: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/russia-calls-turkey-s-invasion-of-north-syria-unacceptable-1.4051499

---

In related news
Russia Troops Patrol Between Turkish and Syrian Forces, Filling an American Void
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/world/middleeast/kurds-syria-turkey.html

[empedocles]

1. Complex pol'tics

[defacto7]

2. Oh, i get it. So they'll go in and fix it.

[crazytown]

3. They are patrolling there already.

[iluvtennis]

11. yep, I'm sure that's putin's plan. nt

[Blue_Tires]

4. Russia is going to be the new "policeman" for the Middle East

which is probably what they had planned all along...

[gab13by13]

6. The new policeman for oil and gas lines.

[Sapient Donkey]

8. Does Russia have much presence or influence in the region outside of Syria?

It seems possible that Turkey, Russia/Syria, and of course even our Dear Leader Trump planned this all out in order to get the US out so that Russia/Syria could retake the north from the Kurds under the guise of bringing stability and kicking the invading turks out. Maybe they figured the US withdrawing from the area and abandoning our allies to avoid a conflict with a NATO ally would go over smoother than leaving the are so that Russian and Syrian forces could move in. This is all speculation, of course. But I think we're all thinking something along those lines, aye?

[qazplm135]

9. Sure

they are friendly enough with the Iran side of things, as well as Syria.

I could easily see them become more friendly with Iraq as well now that Iraq and Iran are more friendly.

[Sapient Donkey]

10. Oh yeah, Iran...

I don't know why that escaped my mind.

[Xolodno]

14. As someone already stated, Iran....with that said....

....they are getting friendly with the House of Saud. The proxy war in Yemen is telling that monarchy clearly they are not up to snuff to fight Iran. Add to that, they have to question if they can rely on the USA to protect them. Given all the shit they've done has now caught up to them, Trump may do so, but he's not a monarch and isn't going to stick around.

So what to do? Chum up with the one nation that Iran respects and has good relations. And hope the status quo for the most part, won't change.

[Iliyah]

5. Going as planned . . .

[Dennis Donovan]

7. Russia's winking at Turkey so much, you'd think they developed a nervous tic...

[YOHABLO]

12. Maybe Turkey should be kicked out of NATO (?)

[dalton99a]

13. Bullshit. Everything is according to plan:

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/61540

Trilateral summit on settlement in Syria
September 16, 2019
President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President of Iran Hassan Rouhani took part in a trilateral summit on the settlement in Syria.