ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Russia fully supports the peace talks between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the spokesperson for Moscow’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
"Russia supports political solutions to recent issues and welcomes efforts from all sides across all areas. We believe all countries from across the multi-ethnic and religious region need a lasting peace," Maria Zakharova told Rudaw.
The PKK and Turkey have publicly been engaged in peace talks for about a year, negotiating an end to four decades of conflict that has claimed approximately 40,000 lives. In May, the PKK officially declared its dissolution and an end to its armed campaign.
In late October, the PKK said it had begun withdrawing all fighters from Turkey. In announcing the withdrawal, the PKK, under the name Kurdistan Freedom Movement, said it expects Ankara to implement a “PKK-specific Transitional Law” that would allow the group to enter politics.
A Turkish parliamentary commission is drafting the legal framework for the peace process.
On November 3, jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, called for the establishment of a transitional process in Turkey to recognize "Kurdish reality" in the country "in all its dimensions."
Russia-Syria ties
In-mid October, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as part of efforts to restore relations between the two countries. This was Sharaa’s first official visit to Russia since he led the campaign to oust Moscow’s ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Zakharova said Moscow is "happy" that its relations with Damascus have been "reactivated."
"In the October 15 meeting that took place in Moscow, our president and the Syrian president reiterated commitment for full resumption of bilateral ties within the framework of the new realities," Zakharova said, adding the focus was mainly on normalizing trade, economic, scientific, and technical ties.
Asked whether or not Russia struck any oil deal with Damascus, she said "the sector of gas and oil was part of the talks."
Iraq's legislative vote
The spokesperson of Russia's ministry of foreign affairs described Iraq's November 11 parliamentary elections as an important phase in its "political life."
"Iraq's parliamentary elections will be held on November 11, a vote which is important in the country's political life," she said, adding she hoped that "our Iraqi friends will successfully conduct this election or fulfill the will of the people."
The parliamentary election will take place on November 11, when 29 million people are eligible to vote. However, only those possessing biometric voting cards will be allowed to cast their ballots.
The campaign period for Iraq’s parliamentary election came to an end on Saturday morning, a day before early voting. The early vote on Sunday is for members of security forces, inmates, and health workers. More than 1.3 million people will vote on Sunday, including over 276,000 in the Kurdistan Region, according to the electoral commission.
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