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World / Middle East

Russia says Turkey suppresses Kurds under pretext of fighting terrorism

Published: 23 Mar 2016 - 01:27 pm | Last Updated: 10 Nov 2021 - 04:58 am
Peninsula

MOSCOW: Ankara is hindering Kurdish forces in their fight against Islamic State and using the slogan of a "war against terrorism" to suppress Kurdish organisations in Syria and Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Illegal traffic across the Turkish-Syrian border has decreased dramatically since the start of Russia's military operation in Syria, Lavrov told a news briefing.

Referring to the Turkish border, he stressed a need to fully implement U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding a halt of trade in artefacts and oil with Islamic State and to stop "terrorists" from crossing into Syria, including from Turkey.

Reuters