Russia Pans US Plot to Partition Syria, Warns Not Play with Fire

Speaking at the opening of the Valdai Discussion Club’s conference in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov voiced concerns about the US plans to disintegrate war-torn Syria and accused Washington of using the Kurds to undermine the Arab Republic's territorial integrity, Sputnik reported.
 
The state-run news agency cited the top Russian diplomat as saying "Such fears arise when we get acquainted with the plans that the US is beginning to implement on the ground, primarily to the east of the Euphrates, on vast territories between this river and the border with Syria with Iraq and Turkey."
 
Lavrov urged Washington not to "play with fire" in Syria and carefully consider its steps based "not on immediate needs of today's political situation, but rather from the long-term interests of the Syrian people and all the peoples of this region, including the Kurds".
 
Chief of Russia's foreign policy also cast doubt on American leader's clams the US military presence only aims at confronting terrorism, saying that  , "It seems to me that the statements of our American colleagues that the only purpose is to fight ISIS and preserve territorial integrity need to be confirmed by actions."
 
"Unfortunately, with all the statements about the need to unite efforts in the fight against this common evil [terrorism], there is still a desire to use this situation for geopolitical narrow-minded purposes and attempts continue to move away from truly collective work," Lavrov added.
 
He also suggested that the US-led so-called international coalition is not truly fight al-qaeda linked al-Nusra Front terrorist group in Syria.
 
"Al-Nusra Front terrorists do not halt their provocations. In particular, they shelled residential areas of Damascus, including the Russian embassy, the Russian trade mission, from East Ghouta. Nevertheless, our Western partners for some reason prefer to make a fuss about these two areas — Idlib, East Ghouta, without saying what is happening there," he said.
 
Touching on Syrian Kurds' alliance with the US, Lavrov said that they are being used in a game, which has no relation to their own interests, and urged the ethnic group to refrain from exploiting the so-called "Kurdish factor."
 
Previously, the Russian foreign minister blamed the US for aiming to separate part of Syria to create a Kurdish-dominated autonomy.
 
The Kurds took advantage of the fighting in Syria and in 2011 and proclaimed a semi-autonomous state along the northern border of the country.