The West aims to plunder the natural wealth of the Middle East, Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas said during a speech at the XI Moscow Conference on International Security.
⠀
“Western countries are aimed at continuing to own and plunder the natural wealth of the countries of the Middle East, thus violating the freedom and independence of the countries of the region,” Abbas said.
⠀
In particular, he stressed that US troops illegally stationed in Syria “continue to plunder the country’s natural resources and support armed formations with impunity.”
⠀
During his speech, the Syrian Defense Minister also drew attention to the fact that Turkish troops continue to be in a number of areas in northern Syria, and touched on the topic of the territories occupied by Israel.
⠀
“Israeli occupation of a large part of Syrian territory continues, and thus creates a serious threat to the security of our country,” Abbas added.
⠀
The US military illegally controls territories in the north and northeast of Syria in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Al-Hasek and Raqqa, where the largest oil and gas fields in Syria are located. Official Damascus has repeatedly called the presence of the US military on its territory occupation and state piracy with the aim of outright theft of oil. Earlier, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad said that the damage in the oil and gas sectors of the country from 2011 to 2022 amounted to $107 billion. Damascus seeks compensation.
