Russia Asks UN Council To Discuss Turkish Shelling In Syria

The United Nations Security Council will discuss Turkey's shelling of targets in Syria at the request of Russia, which has voiced outrage at the attacks on Syrian Kurdish fighters who are backed by both Russia and the United States.

Turkey shelled positions of the Kurdish YPG party for a third straight day to try to stop its fighters from seizing Azaz, just 8 kilometers from its border. Ankara fears the YPG, with ties to Kurdish militant groups in Turkey, is close to securing the last stretch of Syrian border not already under its control.

"The Russian delegation is deeply concerned by the use of force by Turkey against the Syrian territory," a Russian diplomat said in an e-mailed request for the UN meeting, Reuters reported.

The closed-door discussion on Syria is expected to take place on the morning of February 16 in New York after the council discusses the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

A senior UN official will brief the council first on the situation in Syria.

The spreading conflict in Syria has increased the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO member Turkey.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated sharply after the Turkish military shot down a Russian warplane in November along the Turkish-Syrian border.

The high tensions between the two countries have contributed to the shaky start of a Syrian truce that they agreed to start implementing this week at negotiations in Munich on February 12.
 [Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS]
 rferl.org
16/2/16
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