Russia's deputy foreign minister met Wednesday with leading diplomats from Iran and Iraq to discuss combating Islamist extremist groups and the future of Syria.
With the U.S. minimizing efforts to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq expressing weariness of the U.S.'s extended presence in its country, Russia has become an increasingly important power broker in the region. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met in Moscow with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Nazar Khairallah to emphasize the "principled position of the three countries" on Syria. All three expressed support for Assad in a lengthy war pitting his armed forces against jihadists and opposition groups, according to Syria's pro-government Al-Watan newspaper and Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
Bogdanov also took the opportunity to attack the U.S.'s most recent round of sanctions against his country. The Russian diplomat called the sanctions "absolutely unlawful" and said they would further alienate the U.S. at a time where Washington is seeking to work more closely with Moscow in the Middle East and on other international affairs.
"This is sad, it affects our bilateral relations," Bogdanov said, according to the state-run Tass Russian news agency. "
Russia and Iran, against which the U.S. also recently rolled out more sanctions, have grown closer over their mutual support for Assad, who the U.S. accuses of carrying out human rights abuses. Both countries have contributed money and military power to bolster the beleaguered Syrian military, allowing it to retake much of the territory previously lost to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and other insurgents trying to topple the government since 2011. Tehran took the unprecedented step last year of allowing Russian planes to use its territory to bomb positions in Syria, and the two countries managed to draw Turkey, which deeply opposes Assad, into peace talks following the Syrian government's recapture of Aleppo in December.
The U.S.'s influence in Iraq may also be waning, in Russia's favor. Last week, Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki visited Moscow to make an appeal for close relations with Russia in order to "balance" the U.S. and its agenda. Just two days earlier, Iraqi Defense Minister Irfan al-Hiyali met with his Iranian counterpart to talk about greater cooperation between the two countries. After nearly 15 consecutive years of U.S. presence in Iraq, Baghdad appears to be looking elsewhere for future security ties.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-not-u-now-calling-172328159.html
With the U.S. minimizing efforts to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq expressing weariness of the U.S.'s extended presence in its country, Russia has become an increasingly important power broker in the region. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met in Moscow with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Nazar Khairallah to emphasize the "principled position of the three countries" on Syria. All three expressed support for Assad in a lengthy war pitting his armed forces against jihadists and opposition groups, according to Syria's pro-government Al-Watan newspaper and Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
Bogdanov also took the opportunity to attack the U.S.'s most recent round of sanctions against his country. The Russian diplomat called the sanctions "absolutely unlawful" and said they would further alienate the U.S. at a time where Washington is seeking to work more closely with Moscow in the Middle East and on other international affairs.
"This is sad, it affects our bilateral relations," Bogdanov said, according to the state-run Tass Russian news agency. "
Russia and Iran, against which the U.S. also recently rolled out more sanctions, have grown closer over their mutual support for Assad, who the U.S. accuses of carrying out human rights abuses. Both countries have contributed money and military power to bolster the beleaguered Syrian military, allowing it to retake much of the territory previously lost to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and other insurgents trying to topple the government since 2011. Tehran took the unprecedented step last year of allowing Russian planes to use its territory to bomb positions in Syria, and the two countries managed to draw Turkey, which deeply opposes Assad, into peace talks following the Syrian government's recapture of Aleppo in December.
The U.S.'s influence in Iraq may also be waning, in Russia's favor. Last week, Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki visited Moscow to make an appeal for close relations with Russia in order to "balance" the U.S. and its agenda. Just two days earlier, Iraqi Defense Minister Irfan al-Hiyali met with his Iranian counterpart to talk about greater cooperation between the two countries. After nearly 15 consecutive years of U.S. presence in Iraq, Baghdad appears to be looking elsewhere for future security ties.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-not-u-now-calling-172328159.html