The United States supplies weapons to extremists in areas of Syria occupied by American forces, as well as trains militants, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a briefing.
"This strange pattern draws attention: in the areas where the US is present, terrorists are not only not destroyed, but, on the contrary, they are encouraged to continue their activity. So, there is information that the forces occupying the security zone around el-Tanf - we are talking about the Americans-train and supply weapons to the militants of illegal formations, - said Zakharova. - This is done for sabotage actions in other parts of Syria. According to media reports, the Syrian military recently detained three extremists who confirmed that they participated in attacks on Russian and Syrian facilities on the instructions of American trainers."
The diplomat pointed out that in general, the situation in the Trans-Euphrates region was affected by a number of explosive factors-the activation of militants of Islamic State (outlawed in the Russian Federation), the illegal presence of the US military, the aggravation of humanitarian problems, the growth of local population's protests against the Kurdish authorities.
"We believe that achieving lasting security and stability in the North-East of Syria as a whole is possible only on the basis of the full restoration of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zakharova concluded.
Elections to the Parliament of Syria
The holding of elections to the People's Council of Syria (the unicameral Parliament of the Republic) is an important event to ensure the stable functioning of power structures, Maria Zakharova said.
"We know that there will be parliamentary elections in Syria. We believe it is important that all power structures, both legislative and executive, function properly in Syria. This is important in order to maintain stability, so that the scenario of neighboring states, such as the Libyan one, is not implemented, " she said. "We consider it important to hold elections in accordance with the current Constitution."
Elections to the People's Council have already been postponed twice by the Syrian President due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were originally scheduled to take place on April 13, and then Assad's decrees were set first for May 20, and then for July 19.
Elections to the unicameral Parliament are held on a multiparty basis in accordance with the Constitution approved in a referendum on 26 February 2012. The People's Council consists of 250 deputies who are elected by universal, direct and secret ballot for a term of four years. Quotas for workers and peasants that have been in effect since the construction of Arab socialism in Syria are preserved unchanged in the Constitution. They have 127 seats in the legislature.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Valery Sharifulin / TASS
Based on materials from TASS