US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told a regional security conference on Saturday that Russia is no replacement for the United States in the Middle East following Moscow’s military campaign in Syria.
“Russia’s presence in the region cannot replace the longstanding, enduring, and transparent US commitment to the Middle East,” Mattis told a meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama.
He was speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to hold talks in Istanbul with the leaders of France, Germany and Turkey on Saturday seeking to find a lasting political solution to the seven-year civil war in Syria.
Mattis told the Manama Dialogue that Moscow’s “opportunism and willingness to overlook (Bashar) Assad’s criminal activities against his own people evidences its lack of sincere commitment to essential moral principles,” referring to Syrian President.
“We are deeply aware of the sacrifices many of our partners have made, and continue to make, in dealing with the effects of Assad’s violence against his own people,” Mattis said.
He vowed the US-led coalition in Syria would “continue to root out jihadist groups and expand space for our diplomats to negotiate for long-term peace in that war-torn country”.
“We stand with our partners who favor stability over chaos, and we support unity of effort among our nations’ militaries in response to shared threats and challenges,” Mattis added.
Source: AFP
