Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused on Tuesday the United States of looking to illegally separate territories on the eastern bank of the Euphrates and create an illegal, quasi-state.
“On the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, they are doing everything possible to create the structure for a quasi-state, and are asking the Gulf countries for major investments in order to create a local administration on the basis of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurds – the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and others, with the clear intention of breaking this piece of territory off from Syria, and controlling the oil fields located there,” Lavrov said at the Paris Peace Forum.
Also, the FM accused the US of preventing its allies from investing in Syria’s reconstruction.
“When it comes to reconstruction, we, together with the Syrian government, support inviting everyone [to participate], in creating conditions for the modernization of infrastructure and the return of refugees, so that the country can return to a normal life,” Lavrov said.
He said Washington categorically prohibits its allies – NATO, the European Union, countries of the region, from investing in any projects in the territories controlled by the Syrian regime.
He recalled that Moscow and Washington came close to a deal on Syria in 2013, but it fell through because the United States failed to "separate the armed opposition from terrorists."
He said Russia has never designed its foreign policy to "be nasty" to the United States.
