Russia Reminds the U.S., Russia Is in Syria Legally, U.S. Is Not

June 6, 2020 (EIRNS)—Davis Schenker, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, told a video event of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. that Russia is a destructive force in the Middle East and must leave. He called Russia’s presence in Syria a “rough blunder” of the Obama Administration that allowed Russia to create a base in Syria. “For 45 years, this has been the cornerstone of American politics—to keep Russia away from the Middle East,” he claimed, stating that Russia was playing a destructive role in the region and should vacate.

The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. reminding Schenker that Russia is in Syria by invitation of the Syrian government, but that the U.S. is not. “The real question here: What are the grounds for the U.S.A. to occupy several swaths of this sovereign country? As far as we know, none of them are legal. Neither the legitimate authorities nor the UN Security Council sanctioned American troops’ deployment,” it stated.

Beyond that valid point, it took real chutzpah for Schenker to accuse Russia of being “destructive,” given the swath of devastation that U.S. military interventions have left in the region over the last three decades.