Syrian Kurdish separatists on Wednesday opened a representation in Moscow amid a push by the Kremlin to have them included in Syria peace talks despite Turkey's objections, AFP reports.
"This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people," Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said at the opening ceremony for the office in an industrial neighbourhood in southeast Moscow.
"Russia is a great power and an important actor in the Middle East. It is in fact not only an actor, but also it writes the script."
Shamoyev said the opening of the representation was a "big political step" for Syrian Kurds.
Those present at the ceremony had ties to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), he said.
The PYD is a leader in the fight against ISIS in northern Syria, but Turkey considers it to be an offshoot of its arch-foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).