Syrian FM Vows Expel US and Turkish Troops From Syria

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Walid al-Muallem has reiterated calls for Turkey and the US to leave Syria, describing their presence as illegal writes Al-Masdar.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem declared that the continued illegal presence of American and Turkish forces on Syrian lands is an “occupation”, indicating that Damascus will spare no effort to end this occupation by means guaranteed by international law.

In his speech to the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Muallem said, “The continued illegal presence of American and Turkish forces on Syrian lands is an occupation with all its legal dimensions, and Syria will spare no effort to end this occupation with the means guaranteed by international law.”

According to Muallem, the measures taken by these forces, either directly or through their terrorists or separatist militias, or through any artificial illegal entities, are all null and void and have no legal effect and constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.

Muallem accused the Turkish regime of imposing itself forcefully as one of the main sponsors of terrorism in Syria, and of using collective punishment against civilians, and that this is a war crime.

“Instead of lifting the unilateral, coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added, “we have witnessed a renewal of these measures and imposing more of them under illusive pretexts, including the so-called Caesar Act which aims at adding pressure to the livelihood and daily life of the Syrian people.”

He added, “It is obvious that the goal of the Caesar Act in its essence, is to exert pressure on the Syrian people, their livelihoods and their daily life in an inhumane scene that reminds us of the brutality through which George Floyd was killed and through which Israel strangles the Palestinian people,” Muallem said.

“While we stress that the unilateral coercive measures contradict international law in a clear and frank way, we call on all countries affected by those measures to form a unified front to face that phenomena and ease their impacts on our people,” Muallem said.