MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian official on Tuesday called on Turkey “to indicate a certain restraint” to be able to prevent further escalation in Syria, where tensions heightened over the weekend after Turkish airstrikes killed and wounded various Syrian soldiers.
Russian presidential envoy in Syria Alexander Lavrentyev expressed hope that “it is going to be possible to persuade our Turkish partners to refrain from excessive use of force on the Syrian territory.”
“We’ll, after all, call on our Turkish colleagues to indicate a certain restraint to be able to prevent an escalation of tension, and an escalation of tension not only within the north, but additionally in all the territory of Syria,” Lavrentyev was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agencies within the Kazakh capital, Astana, ahead of talks on Syria.
Turkey carried out airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Syria and Iraq over the weekend, in retaliation for a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on the militant groups. The airstrikes also hit several Syrian army positions in three provinces along the border with Turkey, and killed and wounded various Syrian soldiers, Syrian officials said.
Following the strikes, on Monday suspected Kurdish militants in Syria fired rockets across the border into Turkey, killing at the very least two people and wounding 10 others, based on Turkish officials.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow views Turkey’s security concerns “with understanding and respect” but additionally urges Ankara to “refrain from steps that may lead to a serious destabilization of the situation typically.”
“It might come back as a boomerang, complicate the state of security affairs much more,” Peskov said.
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