ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday accused the US government of attempting to create a “pseudo-government” in northern Syria.
"Meanwhile, the northeast of Syria remains under de facto control of the US military who continue to flirt with local armed groups, buying their loyalty with arms deliveries. Thus a process is in full swing in the Trans-Euphrates area of establishing pseudo-government structures which are not legitimate under Syrian law,” she said.
The US announced on Aug. 17 that it had secured $300 million from coalition partners for Syrian stabilization initiatives, including Saudi Arabia, and that it would redirect $230 million in frozen funds originally intended for Syria to other priorities.
So, 530 Million dollars (more then half a billion) and all those weapons/equipment shipments:
Zakharova characterized US stabilization programs in Syria as “funding anti-government structures” and said the US had “shifted the responsibility on their allies.” “Now using money from the other members of the Washington-led coalition – Europeans and Arabs – the United States embarked on restoring and upgrading oil-producing infrastructure in the northeast of Syria and essentially began plundering Syria’s national wealth,” Zakharova said, accusing the US of violating Syria’s sovereignty, despite previous pledges that it supports the unity of Syria.
“We would like to understand how that stance corresponds to our partners’ practical steps that we are observing on Syrian territory,” she added.
Timur Akhmetov, a researcher at the Russian International Affairs Council, told Kurdistan 24, “Obviously, Russia is not happy with US reinforcing its presence in Syria, because this may give the Kurds the impression that Americans are there to stay and therefore let them be less cooperative with Damascus.”
Recently, Kurdish groups in Syria have been holding talks with Damascus to reach a solution to the national crisis. Timur Akhmetov, “I suppose that Russia may have wanted to reach an understanding with US that it would not stay for a long period of time in Syria. To build a trust with US, Russia may propose some new arrangements or cooperation over reconstruction and demining of major settlements under PYD (Democratic Union Party) control, Iranian presence along the Israeli border, or fight against IS in eastern Syria,”
In the past, Syrian Kurds maintained positive relations with both Russia and the US, Farhad Patiev, Co-Chairman of the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Kurds in Russia, told Kurdistan 24.“But the Kurds refused to choose between them, understanding the need for equal involvement of Russia and the United States in resolving the Syrian crisis,” he said.
But since Russia supported a Turkish offensive on the Kurdish town of Afrin in January, relations between the Kurds and Russia have been strained. “Afrin pushed the Kurds towards one [the US], and pushed him away from the other,” he said.
Russia also remained silent over Turkey’s control of other areas in northern Syria.
“The United States represents a greater long-term threat to Russia than Turkey. Russia has managed its competition with Turkey over hundreds of years,” Nicholas A. Heras, a Middle East security analyst at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, told Kurdistan 24.
“A Turkish protectorate in northern Syria is a nuisance to Russia, but not a mortal threat. Moscow's nightmare is an American commitment to staying in Syria, which is a wild card that Russian planning did not anticipate.”
The American presidential envoy to the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS), Brett McGurk, said last week that the US would not be leaving Syria any time soon. "We’re remaining in Syria. The focus is the enduring defeat of ISIS,” he said. Moreover, he stated that, after the territorial defeat of IS, the US would continue to support the training of local forces.
Just want to share some discourse from elsewhere:I recommend Syrian Perspective with reservations. Ziad is great. As are a few of the commenters.But many others there are certainly cause for concern. Below is an exchange of comments between myself and two particular thinking persons.I also thank flopot and and Alex in North Carolina for sharing their ideas and concerns with me.A reasonable exchange is always welcomed. :)
falcemartello @Penny .Why r u surpriseed?Magnier and Meyssen have all written about this since 2017.It was predictable and all in the cards.REMEMBER IT IS AN OCCUPATION.Turn coat kurds will be dropping like flies..How many thousand of years have the Syrians been there.THese blow in anglo-zionist.Poor students of history.The SAR has won LA GUERRE.The Kurds are the new proxy takfiris. Its like a rebranding winter catalogue.Their are significant Kurdish people who would AGREE with that.Think of this The Kurds are now the storm troopers for the anglo-zionist.This will guarantee that whatever federated Syrian Arab Republic will compose of the SDF will have a back seat at the table.Like I said it ain’t over t’ill the fat lady sings, she is one hell of an elephant.This is what is called spanners in the already established fact that pax-americana a perso . So lets play soar losers by trying to take something that we did not win. Remind you of any other rogue nation?This is how it will play out.UNO: West of the euphrates will have a massive re building and reconstruction phase. Followd by full economic recovery and growth.DUE: East of the euphrates. Will be banked rolled by the House of Saud . Most of that money will be for security; takfiris and 3000 FUKUS impirial guards.Re construction next to zilch re development next to zilch economy what economy. No state just takfiris and occupiers.TRE: The people east of the euphrates will rise and rebel against the occupation SDF persona non grata just lie FUKUSA.You think that the Syrian Arab Republic and the SAA are just going to say fine Isreal due can just go ahead and create this fig noughten affect on the whole Arab society.MA FAMME STO PIACERE.
Penny falcemartello- I am not surprised in the least by this news.Not quite sure why you’d think I was?This is more then an occupation- This is an annexation with an eye to remake the region. I’ve written about it for the last 7 years. Starting with Syria in 2011 and expanding, while delving ever deeper into the wider aspects involving Iran, Turkey and the blocking of the Silk Road-How the aspired for Greater Kurdistan impedes/coordinates Assad’s 4 seas strategy. How the Greater Kurdistan project lines up with Greater Israel- And yes there are significant numbers of the Kurdish people who would agree with what you’ve said The Kurds are the new proxy takfiris. Its like a rebranding winter catalogue.Including the many who’ve had their children kidnapped by the PKK cult freaks of terror. Including the Turkish kurds who vote and align themselves with AKP in Turkey and find their family members murdered horrifically and the PKK acknowledges they did the deed.Yes, the whole Kurdish meme-ology reminds me of the one that surrounds the creation of Israel- Poor people without a land, who need a land blah, blah, blah- Meanwhile the reality is very similar. Israel was created by terrorism and terrorists spilling the blood of the residents and the Kurdish terrorists play the same role- spill the blood of residents while the always lying alt and msm presents them as the eternal victims-or the great heros- just like the jews- eternal victims/eternally wronged needed these wrongs to be righted- I’ve heard and read it all beforeWash, rinse, repeat.As to your uno, due, tre… quatrro, cinque etc. (My father came from Italy after WW2- mom is Canadian we spoke more english then Italian – but I do know some) I agree that the West will be rebuilt- that is already looking to be occurring- yes the Saudis will funnel some of their own money and much American money through to the PKK.I’m hoping the people will rise up and rid themselves of the scourge, but, not as confident of that as you may be..The people will be extorted, subjugated constantly— In Italy which is occupied I’ve yet to see the people arise (occasional protests, sure) – Same in Germany ( never notice any protesting), Japan ( protests) War wears people down.They lose their will to fight. I’ve heard about Italy after the war. It was ugly.Thanks for the nice response
falcemartello Italy is occupied and has been since the finding of la Prima Republica .Further more it was occupied by it’s unification back on 1861.Being a meridionale /southerner we have have an old rebel saying. CENTRO SOCIALE OCCUPATA CON IL CAZZO CE N’ANDIAMO.Meaning that this is my land like hell you will be getting rid of us.Lebanon 10 years zionist destruction. Where is the colonial outpost with regards to Lebanon.2006 a year to remember that is the year the zionist went into reverse gear in the Maghreb. The Syrian war was the next reverse gear. East of the euphrates will be the next . It is all down hill from now on for the anglo-zionist. Bit by bit the sails are falling of this ship of fools.Remember what I said. These fools are poor students of history.The Kurds where are they now? Remember Iraq. The same will happen in Syria. Don’t get fooled by the perception management of the msm and all their deceptive lies. If anything the lebanese fiasco of past has taught me that the Maghreb is one area the west will never understand relate to or even befriend.The Kurds now have four countries that do not trust them for the simple fact that they have sided with the ashkanazis. Well the majority of the maghreb 99 percent have just made Kurds persona non grata next to the colonialist.So I am Kurd living in Aleppo and my fellow Kurds have just sold Syria down the whole. Where does that put me a urd. Hypothetically speaking.Syrian ethos transcends identitarianism it is a secular arab society. Kurds are playing with fire and as I stated Kurds will eventually be dropping like flies. They will be looked at as occupiers like FUKUSA hence no win situation. Abi pazienza patience. Lebanon 10 years it took for it to cleanse itself of zionism look at the Christian phalngist once the proxies of the zionist now are central to the resistance in Lebanon. The same will happen to the Kurds .At present zionist proxies but when the faeces hit the fan you watch how they will be begging for forgiveness to the SAR.
anti_republocratPenny, good to see you using meaningful labels and distinguishing between true “Syrian Kurds” and PKK, and pointing out that others are using false labels, like people referring to US corporate Democrats as “the left.” They are not the left.
Penny Hi anti-republocrat: I try to use meaningful labels..US backed Kurdish proxies is not a reference to kurds who are non aligned- etcBut the endless use of the label “syrian kurds” is an obfuscation and it’s applied thickly. Especially in the 5/6 eyes msm and alt media. The US is not allied with “Syria’s kurds”– they are allied with a specific group of kurds that the US and Israel for that matter, have long been allied with- Including, but not limited to using them to keep Turkey in line. Employing them in Iran to destabilize. (It was Kurds that undertook the so called ISIS attack recently in Iran) That’sjust the fact of the matter. Not coincidentally the US has been training “iranian kurds” in northern Iraq going back years now- so when there is an uprising it will be those poor “iranian kurds” that will be oppressed- rather then the reality that aligned with the US they will be destabilizers.Bashar Assad has to deal with the actual population of Syrian kurds, as well as the terrorist thugs.Unfortunately, since the Americans having occupied 30 percent of Syria with their heavily armed proxies hidden behind this idea of ‘oh those poor Syrian kurds’ it muddies the reality, the fact, that what Bashar Assad has to actually deal with is a heavily armed terror army, attempting to force his hand and bend to the will of the regional remake- not “syrian kurds’