Moscow doesn’t recognize PKK as a terrorist organization

[Anthea]

Moscow doesn’t recognize PKK as a terrorist organization: ambassador

Russia does not consider the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) a terrorist group, Moscow’s ambassador to Ankara said Saturday, amid reports that alliances between western powers and Kurdish fighters in the region are growing.

Speaking to Russian news agency Ria Novosti, Ambassador Andrey Karlov said that while his government understands Turkey’s concerns regarding terrorist attacks, it does not consider the PKK and its affiliate in Syrian Kurdistan, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), as terrorist groups.

“Neither the PKK nor the PYD are considered terrorist organizations by either Russia or the United Nations Security Council,” Karlov said.

Tensions between Ankara and Moscow are escalating since Russia stepped up its involvement in the ongoing Syrian conflict, launching air strikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey has accused Russia of supporting the PYD and People’s Protection Units (YPG) since the strikes began three weeks ago.

“No one can guarantee that arms given to the PYD today won’t fall into the hands of the PKK tomorrow and be used against Turkey,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Wednesday. “Turkey cannot accept any kind of cooperation with terrorist organizations that have declared war against Turkey.”

Karlov denied that Russia had delivered any weapons to the PYD, though he said they have been in contact.

Karlov said Saturday that he did not discuss the issue of supplying Russian weapons to Syrian Kurds in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Karlov, who was invited to the ministry, told the Turkish side ” that Russia’s international contacts were never aimed against interests of some other country, and will never in any way be a threat to Turkey’s interests. The question of Russia arming PYD was not discussed, as we are not supplying any weapons to the Syrian Kurds. We only spoke of political contacts with them,”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying on Thursday by Interfax news agency that Russia is not supplying weapons to Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan.