Russia and the United States, despite their differences on many issues of the Syrian settlement, continue to maintain contacts in Syria through military and diplomatic channels, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said in an open online interview with the first Deputy Director-General of TASS Mikhail Gusman.
"Nevertheless, we maintain contacts [with the US in Syria], including through military and diplomatic lines. We use this to convey our views and approaches to the American side, listen to their position," Vershinin said, adding that he believes that contacts with the American side are useful.
According to him, Russia and the United States agree on fundamental issues regarding the territorial integrity and independence of Syria. He recalled that Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump made a joint statement on the situation in Syria, and it remains relevant.
"At the same time, we have said and will continue to say that the American presence in Syria is illegal. The fact that they are located in the Euphrates region is illegal. It is absolutely unacceptable that they are helping, to call a spade a spade, to plunder the national resource of the entire Syrian people in the form of oil. The fact that they hold this territory of el-Tanf with a circumference of 55 km is absolutely illegal," the Deputy Minister added, stressing that Moscow directly indicates to Washington that such unilateral actions must be put an end to.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: picture alliance / Luiz Rampelot
Based on materials TASS