February 11, 2016•Update: February 11, 2016
MOSCOW
The Syrian Kurdish group the Democratic Union Party (PYD) -- an affiliate of the PKK terror group -- opened an office in Moscow on Wednesday.
The office of the “Western Kurdistan Representative” will serve as liaison between the PYD terrorist organization, which controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border with Turkey, and the Kremlin.
Wednesday’s inauguration was attended by Feleknas Uca, a lawmaker from Turkey's opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the PYD representative to Russia Abdussalam Ali and Senam Muhammed, the “Europe and U.S. Representative of Syrian Kurds”, an Anadolu Agency correspondent present reported.
The bureau is located at the same building as the business association inaugurated by HDP Co-Chairman Selahattin Demirtas in December.
Speaking of recently stalled Syria peace talks in Geneva, Uca said the lack of Kurdish participation was helpful in attracting “the world’s attention on Kurds”.
Turkey opposed the PYD’s participation in the talks, which were suspended after the first round due to intensified air strikes and fighting, and the group was not invited by the UN's special envoy for Syria.
Turkey lists the PYD and its armed wing the People’s Protection Units (YPG) as terror organizations. The YPG has recently been supported by Russian air power in northern Syria.
Representatives from the pro-Russian rebel Donbass region in eastern Ukraine also attended the opening.
