The invitation from Moscow to Turkey's pro-Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas is a demonstration of Russia's belief in the Kurds as a vital ally in the fight against Daesh, writes the German press.
On Tuesday Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused the HDP of "treason" because Demirtas called the downing of Russia's Su-24 bomber a mistake during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.
The HDP leader also remarked on the importance of maintaining dialogue between the two countries, which he said have a very important relationship.
"At the moment we are experiencing a worsening
of Russian-Turkish relations, and in parallel, a time when we have
to look for very important solutions in the Middle East. We are a
political party which in our own country fights for pluralism. We attach
a great deal of importance to Russian-Turkish relations, and it is a
cause of sadness to us that a situation has occurred, as a result
of which relations have soured," Demirtas told Lavrov at the meeting.
In turn, Russia's Foreign Minister told Demirtas that Moscow wants the cooperation of all parties who are committed to fighting terrorism.
"We know that among those who, weapons in hand,
fight on the ground against the danger of Daesh, against extremist
groups, are the Iraqi and Syrian Kurds," said Lavrov.
"They,
together with the Iraqi and Syrian armies fight for their homes,
for the right to live on their land. That is their inalienable right,
like the right of Christians, Yazidis and other minorities to remain
on the land of their ancestors and not be subjected to the lethal danger
of terrorists."
The meeting in Moscow between the politicians was a signal to Ankara
of Kurdish power, and Russia's support for the Kurds, remarked DWN.
"Strengthening the Kurds would really be a
problem for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan," wrote the
newspaper. "A few days ago Demirtas signaled the wish to proclaim
autonomy."
Prior to his Moscow visit, Demirtas announced his support
for the idea of autonomy for the southeastern Anatolia region, where he
said local people had "embraced autonomy" in opposition to
"dictatorship" imposed from Ankara. The AKP held a snap election
on November 1 after losing majority rule in the June election, largely
thanks to gains by the HDP, which received 13.2 percent of the votes."They made a coup after June 7," said Demirtas.
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