One of the issues that has always affected the Kurdish issue has been their relationship with superpowers, including Russia and the United States. To examine Russia's views on the Kurds, especially the Kurds in Iraq and Syria, the Kurdpress interviewed Dr. Igor Delanoe is Deputy-Head of the Analytical Center, Observo (French-Russian Chamber of Commerce, Moscow) and Research Associate at Kadir Has University, Istanbul. He believes that Russia's general view of the Kurds is instrumental.

"I would describe it as instrumental. Beyond the fact that there are historical ties between Russia and the Kurds (widely speaking) and a persistent sympathy in Moscow for the Kurds' aspiration to see their rights recognized by central power in Syria and Iraq, Moscow's today relations with both communities depend on a series of factors," the researcher told Kurdpress about Russia's overall view of the Kurds in the Middle East.

About Russia ties with the Kurds in Iraq, Dr. Delanoe stated that" In Iraq, I would say that the relationship is less problematic. Iraqi Kurdistan is de facto a under US military influence and protection, and for Russia, the main approach is oil business. When it comes to hard security questions, Russia is eager to directly talk to Baghdad."

About the way Russia deals with the Kurds in Syria, the analyst stated that "In Syria, Russia's relation with Kurds is seen through the prism of 1/ its relation with Turkey and 2/ the political settlement of the Syrian crisis. Russian efforts consist in mending ties between Damascus and the Syrian Kurds. In the Kremlin's view, this means that the Kurds should "come back" under the umbrella and political authority of Damascus. Despite the fact that the Russian 2016 Project of Syrian constitution envisioned a relatively wide possibility for cultural autonomy and limited local administration, Moscow sees today this question through the prism of sovereignty of the Syrian state. This vision is fueled by the SDF ongoing military cooperation with the US that the Russians see as hampering Syrian sovereignty."

"As for Turkey: in short, I don't see Russia risking jeopardizing its relationship with Turkey for the sake of the Syrian Kurds. Any Russian military help to the YPG would only be a result of deteriorating ties between Moscow and Ankara," he stated about Moscow ties with Ankara, adding that the Moscow-Ankara ties are not ineffective in the way Russia deals with the Kurds in Syria.

Answering the question whether the two superpowers of Russia and the US are reliable allies of the Kurds, Dr. Delanoe said: "It depends on what a reliable ally means. If the Kurds in these two regions await that Russia will foster their respective aspirations to more autonomy/independence, they are wrong. Should they need military help against ISIS or - locally, against pro-Turkish terrorist groups -, they could receive some, but it would be then directly tied to a very specific context."

The role of Russia in Kurdish- Damascus negotiations

"I think I have already answered this question above. It depends on what you mean by "not a good role". Russia has tried to accommodate both the YPG and Damascus' interests. But both are deeply stubborn and as long as the YPG cooperates with the US, Russia can not commit more efforts in favor of the Kurds," he said about the role of Russia in negotiations between the Syrian Kurds and the central government in Damascus.

The researcher further added in this regard that "Russia's point is that the Syrian regime can and should play the role of buffer to protect the Kurds against Turkish army/pro-Turkish militias in NE and N Syria, not the US. This is already the case locally in some parts of Northern Syria, but it is known that Syrian regular army is not enough powerful of motivated to fight the Turkish army or the pro-Turkish militia/terrorist groups. The limits have been experimented in Idlib last year."

"Don't forget that Russia's first draft of the new Syrian constitution was a signal of Moscow's understanding of Kurdish aspiration. However, this understanding does not extend to self-rule, let alone independence," he said about the extend Russia can back the Kurds in Syria.

Reporter's code: 50101