Statements by the US on the need to maintain its military presence in Syria solely to fight terrorism raise doubts, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Presidential Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, said on Monday at the opening of the 11th Middle East Conference of the Valdai international discussion club.
"The American presence in Syria, not only beyond the Euphrates but also in the south, in the area of Al-Tanf, is illegitimate. It has not been approved in the [UN] Security Council, the legitimate leadership in Damascus has not asked for it," Bogdanov said.
"This question is very important in general: what is the American strategy in Syria itself? What do they want? If our American partners say they are there only to fight terrorism, I have a question: how long will this fight last? Where is its concrete result?" he added.
As the high-ranking diplomat noted, Syria's "breadbasket" is across the Euphrates: there is "bread and oil." The deputy head of the Russian MFA added, "If this territory were under Damascus' control, the socio-economic situation in the country would be much better".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS