Criticizing the illegal US military presence in Syria, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has stressed that Washington’s practices east of the Euphrates River are unacceptable.

Iran Press/Europe: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview given to media outlets on Friday said Idlib is not the last problematic place in Syria, as there are large territories east of the Euphrates River where absolutely unacceptable things happen; as the United States is trying to create a quasi-state there.

According to Syria's SANA news agency, Lavrov said Washington is creating administrative bodies to replace government institutions in that area, and it encourages displaced people to go back there, whereas the US, France, and other Western states do not want to provide suitable conditions for displaced people to return to other areas so that a credible political process may begin.

Lavrov warned: “I cannot exclude the possibility that the US is trying to keep the situation heated up in the region to ensure that everyone is on the edge. It’s easier for them to catch fish in the water they muddy. Such policies never have a happy ending.”

However, Lavrov’s comments came just days after his US counterpart Mike Pompeo claimed that the Washington has two main goals in Syria: defeat ISIS and force the withdrawal of the Iranian forces and their allies.

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Russia's Putin says presence of US forces in Syria illegitimate

On 5 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the fact that presence of the US troops in Syria is illegitimate and violates the UN’s Charter.

Earlier on May 31, 2018, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with Russian television network, RT, has said he believes that Damascus has nearly won the seven-year conflict in Syria, despite continued US “interference.”

President  Assad said: "With every move forward for the Syrian Army, and for the political process, and for the whole situation, our enemies and our opponents, mainly the West led by the United States and their puppets in Europe and in our region, they try to make it farther – either by supporting more terrorism, bringing more terrorists to Syria, or by hindering the political process."

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.

Syrian army troopers, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have recently made major territorial gains in battles against ISIS and other foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups, almost capturing the entire southern part of the country after securing the capital Damascus and other key areas.

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