MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/: The remaining US presence in Syria raises eyebrows and Moscow hopes that US President Donald Trump will fulfill his pledge on withdrawing troops, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Thursday.
According to Lavrov, only a request by the country’s legitimate authorities or the UN Security Council’s resolution could serve as a legal basis for external actors on Syrian soil. "Iran is in Syria at the request of Damascus, unlike the United States," he said.
"When ISIS’ main elements [terror group outlawed in Russia] in Syria are defeated, questions will arise about the purpose of the continued US presence on Syrian soil," Russia’s top diplomat said.
"There is a strong sense that Washington’s mission is to prevent the restoration of Syria’s territorial integrity, in direct violation of Security Council Resolution 2254," he stressed.
Lavrov expressed hope that Washington would fulfill its pledge made by President Donald Trump in December 2018 to withdraw US troops from the country.
