The United States and Russia should work together to stabilize Syria, US ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said on Thursday during a US Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination for the position Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2018) The United States and Russia should work together to stabilize Syria, US ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said on Thursday during a US Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination for the position Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
"I also believe that we should try to work with the Russians to see if we can help build a better Syria," Hale said. "But we should not be rushing with that assistance until its clear that there is a game plan that will stabilize that country, eliminate the presence of Iranian troops and put political future of that society into hands of its people."
On July 16, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first ever summit meeting in Helsinki. Trump said they discussed the Syrian crisis at length and added that US-Russia cooperation there would save hundreds of thousands of lives. Trump also said that the positions of the United States and Russia on Syria are quite similar, and the two countries' approaches are getting closer.
Syria has been in a state of conflict since 2011 with a number of opposition groups and terrorist organizations supported by foreign countries fighting the Syrian Army to topple the government of President Bashar Assad.
The United States and its allies have been engaged in a military operation against terrorists in Syria since 2014. However, the US operations in Syria have been conducted without authorization from the Syrian government or a mandate from the UN Security Council.
Russia, together with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the Syrian ceasefire and has been assisting Damascus by offering support to combat terrorists operating in the country as well as by providing humanitarian aid.
