Russia strongly responds to tribal forum in Syria’s Ain Issa

The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly responded to a meeting of Arab tribes in Ain Issa on Friday, which the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) had organized, suggesting it undermined the Astana process.

According to a statement by the Russian ministry, the meeting was a move by the United States and its Kurdish allies to ensure Washington maintains “its long-term presence in Syria,” Russian-linked Tass News Agency reported.

The statement accused the US of using the Kurds “to set up a quasi-state on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.”

The ministry claimed the meeting was an obvious attempt to split the country, adding it “blatantly violates the declared UN principles of preserving [Syria’s] territorial integrity and state sovereignty.”

Read the full article and more in Kurdistan 24.