PYD alarm two 'NATO allies' with warming ties to Moscow

A high-level delegation from Syrian's Democratic Union Party (PYD) held crucial talks in Moscow on Wednesday, it was reported.

The delegation, including PYD co-chair Asya Abdullah, paid a state visit as official guests of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The PYD co-chair and and several party officials flew to Russia to meet with Kremlin officials, according to Bloomberg.

A pro-Kurdish network quoted a Kurdish official in Kobani as saying the talks focused on the possibility of opening a PYD office in Moscow. There are some reports confirming the PYD's top officials are continuing talks in Moscow pertaining to the proposed opening of the party's mission.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said PYD officials have briefed Moscow on developments in Syria but declined to give further information.

In recent days, Russia's leading business and policy broadsheet, Kommersant, reported that the Kurdistan Workers' Party's Syrian offshoot, PYD, may open a mission office in Moscow. “If PYD opens a mission office in Russia, this could lead to a harsh response in Turkey. It will cause further strain in relations between Moscow and Ankara," the newspaper noted.

Wednesday's visit comes two weeks after Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov heard Turkey's concerns over relations between Moscow and the PYD when he was summoned by the Foreign Ministry in a protest against Russian jets' incursions into Turkish air space on two consecutive occasions.

Syrian Kurdish officials' travel to Russia also followed on the heels of the first foreign trip taken by embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since civil conflict erupted in his country in 2011.

PYD announced that it considers Syrian President's visit to Moscow a normal affair. “Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Assad is very normal because Putin is in favor of finding a political solution to end the conflict in Syria," PYD said in a statement.

The relations developing between the PYD and Moscow have apparently become a problem for the US and its NATO ally, Turkey. Turkey considers PYD, as a terrorist organization due to its connections with outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Ankara has tried to convince the US that the PYD and YPD are terrorist organisations like the PKK.

However, despite Ankara's insistent warnings, the importance of the PYD and the YPG has grown for Washington, especially after the US train-equip program for Syria failed. The US administration currently considers the PYD's armed wing, People's Protection Units, (YPG) an important asset on the ground for the US-led coalition battling ISIL.

Washington has armed PYD-linked militia battling ISIL. However, the PYD may become a serious headache for the White House in coming days, as the US government is concerned with growing ties between Russia and Syrian Kurds. The UK-based The Times said that US was alarmed over reports that Syria's autonomous Kurdish region is preparing to set up a diplomatic mission in Moscow.