DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – The United States is stealing natural resources from Syria and imposing illegitimate sanctions, Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said in an interview.
The U.S. forces, with the help of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militants, continue to steal the Syrian oil, wheat, and cotton, Mekdad told the national TV.
He said the SDF, with the assistance of the U.S. troops, is holding 60,000 people in the al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria, noting that the SDF is stealing the aid that is sent to the refugees.
“They (SDF militants) should not count on the United States as the latter will exploit them. No separatist scheme can be implemented in Syria ... We call on those who looted Syrian resources to pay compensation,” Mekdad said.
“The US has destroyed [Syria’s northern province of] Raqqa under the pretext of fighting Daesh terrorists, and has perpetrated crimes there and in the neighboring province of Dayr al-Zawr,” the Syrian foreign minister said.
Meanwhile, Mekdad said that U.S. sanctions against Syria are “illegitimate” and aimed at destabilizing the country.
He also lauded the Syrian military’s achievements in the fight against terrorist groups, especially Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Daesh terrorist groups that are still active in the northwestern and northeastern parts of Syria while receiving support from Washington and Ankara.
“It is in the ruling Turkish government’s best interest to infuse destruction and instability across Syria,” he said, adding that reconciliation agreements signed under Russia’s auspices between the Syrian government and opposition forces paved the way for the repatriation of the displaced civilians.
The top Syrian diplomat emphasized that Ankara is getting in the way of Syria talks in the Astana format. “Turkey must realize it has no future whatsoever in our homeland,” he said.
Mekdad said that Turkish military forces have occupied parts of Syria, but Syrian army troops will eventually liberate them, whether those areas are located in the northwestern province of Idlib or near the border with Turkey.
Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, as a result of which Daesh and other terrorist groups emerged in the Arab country.
The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the U.S. and the EU for waging economic terrorism in the Arab country through their unilateral sanctions, holding them responsible for the suffering of the Syrian people, especially now that the country is grappling with a deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Damascus has also been critical of the United Nations for staying silent on the destructive role of the U.S. and EU, among other parties, which support terrorism in Syria.