'Where there is America, there is trouble': Syrian envoy on escalated Middle East tensions

Syrian Ambassador to India Riad Abbas on Monday criticised the United States over the escalating tensions in the Middle East owing to its interference in the region's affairs, and remarked, "Where there is America, there is trouble." Abbas was speaking to media after holding a meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.

Responding to a question on the escalated tensions in the region following a US airstrike earlier this month in Iraq that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, Abbas said, "I will tell you this openly: Where there is America, there is trouble. Who invited America to come to the Middle East to fight these countries? They (the US) are following their interests. They are not coming for the welfare of the people. They came to hold the natural resources of those countries. Our country (Syria) and Iran refused and that is why they faced these big problems in the Middle East. Iran has now become a superpower in the region and they will defeat America." 

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Abbas said that his nation does not believe or have faith in American policies. "All American policies in the Middle East have failed. Be it North Korea, or Ukraine, everywhere there are foolish policies of America. They could not stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea. They could not do any development in the Middle East or Ukraine. They always follow Israeli policies in the Middle East and hence they fail," he added.

Programmes for the welfare of poor kids

Further speaking about the programmes launched by CM Patnaik for the welfare of poor people, Abbas said he also visited Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) where 30,000 tribal students are studying. He said possible trade activities between Odisha and Syria were also discussed at the meeting. Abbas also visited the SOA Deemed to be University in Bhubaneshwar on Monday and interacted with SOA officials and the 134 Syrian students studying in the University, as per reports.

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(with ANI inputs)

(image: AP)