Russia can’t replace US in Mideast

Russia is no replacement for the United States in the Middle East following Moscow’s military intervention in Syria, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said while speaking at the Manama Dialogue here yesterday.

“Russia’s presence in the region cannot replace the longstanding, enduring, and transparent US commitment to the Middle East,” Mattis said. He was speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to hold talks in Istanbul with the leaders of France, Germany, and Turkey seeking to find a lasting political solution to the seven-year civil war in Syria.

Russia supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, while Turkey backs some rebel groups seeking to oust the Syrian leader. Mattis told the Manama Dialogue that Moscow’s “opportunism and willingness to overlook Assad’s criminal activities against his own people evidences its lack of sincere commitment to essential moral principles.”

Iran’s support for the Syrian regime “coupled with Russia’s repeated vetoes of UN Security Council Resolutions, is the leading reason Assad remains in power,” he said. More than 360,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 2011, while millions have been displaced, many of them seeking refuge in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon. “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.