Russian Diplomat: US Forces Deployed in Energy-Rich Regions of Syria

By Staff, Agencies

The Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa has lambasted the presence of US military forces in Syria, calling upon the Pentagon to end its illegitimate occupation of the energy- and mineral-rich parts of the war-ravaged country.

Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Russia’s deputy foreign minister, made the remarks in an interview with the website of the al-Arabiya television news network on Tuesday.

“Washington uses the pretext of combating terrorism to be present east of the Euphrates in economically important areas, where crude oil and strategic natural reserves are abundant. At the same time, its troops are deployed at al-Tanf area in southern Syria,” he said.

Bogdanov censured the US support for Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] in northern Syria, emphasizing that the practice constitutes a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

The US military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.

Damascus, however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the rich mineral resources.

Elsewhere in his remarks on Tuesday, Bogdanov described the issue of Syrian refugees as a complex one, which requires concerted international efforts, improvement in Syria’s economic situation, and reconstruction of destroyed homes.

The top Russian diplomat also termed Syria’s return to the Arab League and President Bashar al-Assad’s attendance at the Jeddah summit as an “important and positive” development.

He expressed hope that Syria’s reintegration into the Arab world would contribute to finding a promising solution to the Syrian crisis and the return of refugees.

Arab government representatives in Cairo voted on May 7 to return Syria to the Arab League after a 12-year suspension.

All 13 of the 22-member states that attended the session endorsed the decision. However, there is still no Arab consensus on the normalization of ties with Damascus.

Several governments did not attend the meeting. Among the most notable absentees was Qatar, which continues to back the so-called moderate opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.