Dr Irina Zvyagelskaya speaks to Rudaw's Naif Ramazan at the Middle East Peace and Security (MEPS) forum at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok on November 20, 2019. Photo/video: Rudaw TV
Irina Zvyagelskaya, head of Middle East Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations says Kurds in Syria will not be satisfied with anything less than autonomy and believes President Bashar al-Assad considers himself the winner of Syrian conflict.
Zvyagelskaya adds that Moscow wants to have good relations with Kurds in Rojava and could assist in resolving internal issues.
Rudaw English spoke to Zvyagelskaya at the Middle East Peace and Security Forum in Duhok on Wednesday.
Russia has become a big power player in the region, in particular Syria. What kind of future does Moscow want for Syria?
We believe that actually this future should be discussed at official negotiations between the opposition and government parties. But, if you speak about Russia, what Russia really wants is a stabilized Syria where there will be no danger from terrorist groups like ISIS. Such a Syria would be a very important ally of Russia and we have economic interest, trade interests and political interests. But only a stabilized Syria can provide this.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) say their negotiations with the Syrian government with the help of Russia is not going well. How does Russia see the future of SDF in Syria given that it is the most well-organized force?
Well, I believe again that we should wait for the result of the negotiations. Russia, like the international community, can assist the SDF, but Russia cannot deliver the results of the negotiations
How does Russia want to resolve the Kurdish issue in Syria?
Well, Russia believes that Kurds should be given probably something, probably autonomy. But the question is will they again manage to negotiate with Assad. I know President Assad is not very favorable towards autonomy. He can speak about the sort of decentralization, just grant certain power for local authorities. Whether the Kurds will be satisfied with such arrangements, I do not know. I believe that Kurds will insist on a sort of autonomy. But autonomies are also very different. You know, some of them are fully autonomous, some of them more or less are limited. What Kurds will be able to get from Assad, I do not know.
In your view, why is autonomy difficult at this stage?
Well, I believe that Assad believes he is a winner. He does not want other parties to dictate to him what should he do. For him, a unified Syria is the best result of the war.
Is Russia of the opinion that in order to strengthen its position in the region, it should have good relations with all Kurds?
I believe that Russia is sure that it should have good relations not only with the Kurds, but with all states and non-state actors in the region. And how you can see we have good relations with Israel, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Kurds and Iraq. It is really a very fundamental achievement of the Russian policy.
The Russian Foreign Minister in his latest trip to the region, paid particular importance to his meeting with President Nechirvan Barzani and even conveyed President Putin's greeting to him. What is the reason for such warm relations?
You know, we have always had warm relations with the Kurds in Iraq. It started long ago in 1945 when the leader of the Kurdish movement Mr. [Mustafa] Barzani and his supporters spent 12 years in the Soviet Union. And after that, this relationship which has always been very warm and very friendly was supported by both sides. And I do understand that there is a reason behind Lavrov's visit here because you are our friends and you have been our friends for many, many years
Do you think Russian giant oil company Rosneft will be successful in the Kurdistan Region and expand the scope of its work?
What I do know is that Rosneft is very much interested in proliferation of its interests, not only in Kurdistan, but in other regions as well. Whether Rosneft will manage to do it, it depends on the situation here on the ground and the willingness of the Kurdish government.
Interview by Naif Ramazan
Transcription by Zhelwan Z. Wali
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