Russia Supports Iraqi Territorial Integrity Amid Kurdish Vote – Foreign Ministry

September 27, 2017 By administrator

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a statement commenting on a recent Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum vote.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia supports Iraq’s territorial integrity, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following a referendum on independence held in Iraqi Kurdistan. Moreover, Moscow calls for both Baghdad and Erbil to resolve all the disagreements strongly by peaceful means, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

“In connection with the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Russian side considers it essential to avoid everything that could destabilize the situation in the Middle East. Our support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and other states of the Middle East remains unchanged. We believe all the disputable issues that exist between the federal authorities of Iraq and the leadership of the Kurdish Autonomous Region can and should be resolved through constructive and respectful dialogue designed to work out a mutually acceptable formula for coexistence within a single Iraqi state” the statement said.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the independence vote took place in Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan as well as in the disputed areas de jure controlled by Baghdad but under de facto control of Kurdish authorities. After 9 percent of votes had been counted, more than 93 percent of voters backed the independence of the region. Iraqi authorities said that the referendum was not legitimate and stressed that they would not conduct talks with the authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan on the issue of the vote.

Turkey Supports Syria Al Qaeda By Convoys of Weapon: Russian Gen. Staff

May 30, 2016 By administrator

Russian airstrikes against Turkish convoys carrying stolen oil out of Syria and Iraq have hurt the finances of the terrorists and strained Turkish-Russian relations

By Ian Greenhalgh,

Head of the Russian General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy has said that the never-ending flow of large trucks from Turkey carrying weapons and ammunition crosses the Turkish-Syrian border to deliver them to Al-Nusra Front Terrorists in Syria.

It is becoming ever more obvious to people around the world that Turkey is largely responsible for the continuing war in Syria – I won’t call it a civil war as it is plainly not that, rather something far more complex and multi-layered with international players directly involved.

Why are people realising that Turkey is upto it’s neck in ISIS? Simple, because they can see from any map of the region that the areas where ISIS is in control are adjoining the Turkish border and that is the only route for supplies and weapons to reach ISIS – through Turkey.

What people are asking is why can’t the US, NATO and Russia get together and act decisively against ISIS and the sundry other terrorist groups in the region? After all, they each have a military presence in the region and have carried out air strikes over Syria; surely the combined firepower and resources of such an alliance would make short work of this bunch of head chopping scum?

Of course, the answer to that is most complex, as is the interlocking web of alliances, both known and secret between various nations and the competing agendas at stake.

__________
ABNA
Turkey Supports Syria Al Qaeda By Convoys of Weapon: Russian Gen. Staff

Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said in his press briefing on Friday that weapons and ammunitions are continuously being delivered to the al-Nusra Front terrorists in Syria, allowing them to engage Syrian government forces and hindering the fight against Daesh in the country.

“The never-ending flow of large trucks from Turkey carrying weapons and ammunition crosses the Turkish-Syrian border. This constant feed of live forces and weapons allows terrorists from the Nusra Front to continue their provocative shelling and make advances on Syrian government forces, which diminishes [government military] activity against Islamic State terrorists in other areas,” Rudskoy said during a briefing.

Rudskoy also added that the US has acknowledged that the heaviest fighting is centered around areas where the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front is most active.

“Everyone knows, and our US partners admit that the biggest hot spots of active military operations are those parts of the Syrian Republic where the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists from the al-Nusra Front run rampant.”

So far, according to Rudskoy, the US has refused to conduct joint operations against terrorist groups in Syria, which has led to an escalation of the conflict.

The al-Nusra Front terrorist group hampers the ceasefire efforts in northern areas of Syria, the Russian General Staff said Friday.

“It is very clear that the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra, active in the regions of Aleppo and Idlib, is the main obstacle to expanding the ceasefire regime to northern areas of Syria,” Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said.

Moreover, the Al-Nusra Front has used the ‘period of silence’ to partly restore its combat capability. Rudskoy told reporters.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu offered to conduct joint air strikes against terrorist groups in Syria, but the Pentagon declined the offer. However, The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry says Moscow hasn’t ruled out a possible joint operation in the future; Sputnik reported.

Source: veteranstoday

Turkey shelling supports terrorists Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Nusra ISIS: Syria

February 14, 2016 By administrator

Syria has taken Turkey’s shelling of its territory to the UN, saying it amounts to “direct Turkish support for terrorist groups.”

In a letter on Sunday, the Syrian foreign ministry called on the UN Security Council to “put an end to the crimes of the Turkish regime.”

“The foreign ministry strongly condemns the repeated Turkish crimes and attacks against the Syrian people and Syria’s territorial integrity,” Syrian official news agency, SANA, reported.

Turkish forces continued to shell positions of Kurdish fighters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo for a second day on Sunday.

According to Turkey’s Anadolou news agency, the Turkish army attacked PYD targets around the town of Azaz by its howitzers stationed on the country’s border with Syria. Similar bombing took place on Saturday.

Ankara accuses the PYD, and its military wing, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), of having links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group that has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since the 1980s.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after the Saturday attacks that Ankara “will retaliate against every step (by the YPG).”

“The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again.”

Davutoglu also noted that Turkey “can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil,” referring to Turkey’s bombardment of PKK situations on Qandil mountain last year.

The Syrian government condemned Davutoglu comments as “blatant interference” in Syrian affairs.