Kurdish politicians in Syria are divided over Russia’s invitation to hold a dialogue with the Syrian government. While some accepted the invitation based on conditions, others were skeptical and questioned the feasibility of such a move.

During a July 2 press conference with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani, in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria to start a dialogue with the Syrian government as an independent political power.

“Russia encourages direct contacts between the Kurds and the Damascus government, with the aim of reaching agreement on how to coexist together in one state,” Lavrov said.

In response, the Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said that there were two main issues to be discussed with the Syrian government. First, the model of the future political system in Syria, the relationship of the central government in Damascus with the other Syrian parties (including the opposition and Autonomous Administration), and the legal and political system as well the identity of the state. Second, the political and economic model that would link the areas of northern and eastern Syria to the central government.