Russia accuses US of seeking long-term presence in Syria

Illustration photo. Photo: Getty

The ministry stressed that on the same day in the town of Ayn Issa, some Western-backed Kurdish leaders tried to hold a Syrian tribal congress. However, after failing to achieve the goal of holding a congress with a large Arab representation, the organizers were forced to downsize it to a conference.

On May 3, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated: "The United States and its allies insist on following the roadmap to resolve the Syrian crisis only with the aim of ensuring a long-term presence in Syria." According to the ministry, to achieve this goal, the United States is taking advantage of Kurdish separatists, a force that plays a role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and is currently seeking to establish a state on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River with the support of the United States.

The ministry added: "This event, which is clearly aimed at dividing the country, is a clear violation of the United Nations principles in protecting the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, including Resolution 2254 of the United Nations Security Council. This causes a new spiral of tension as well as aims to weaken the efforts of the international community, the United Nations and the guarantor countries (Russia, Iran, Türkiye) to participate in the Astana format negotiations to resolve the Syrian crisis as soon as possible."

Given that most Arab tribal leaders on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River opposed the idea of ​​holding the congress, Washington allocated significant funds to bribe delegates. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the US also used blackmail and force./.