Russia unveiled new efforts on Wednesday to return Syrian refugees back to their homeland and called on the U.S. to help in the wake of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s meeting with President Donald Trump.
Under their new program, as described by The Wall Street Journal, Russia seeks to construct new refugees centers and civil boats designed to take people back to Syria. They also hope to start building homes and infrastructure in various parts of the war-torn country.
Officials in Washington remain unsure as to whether they should participate in such a project for fear of collaborating with Putin’s efforts in propping up Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Various groups demand a political solution before engaging in efforts to rebuild the country.
U.S. officials are yet to comment on Moscow’s proposals. Defense authorities indicated no current change to Washington’s strategy in Syria. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis last week indicated he was “considering” a meeting between him and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“I am considering meeting with my counterpart but there has been no decision,” Mattis told journalists at the Pentagon. “I’m all for re-opening communications. It’s most important that we talk with those countries we have the largest disagreements with.”
International bodies such as the European Union and the United Nations will continue to refuse any funding for reconstruction efforts until a credible political solution is found, even though Assad will likely continue in power as his Russian backed Syrian Arab Army edges closer to victory.
“Assad is fine for the time being even without reconstruction as long as Russia and Iran are supporting him, but Russia sees reconstruction as necessary for long-term stability,” former Soviet and Russian diplomat to the U.S. Vladimir Frolov told the Journal. “But through bringing the U.S. on board with the refugee program, Russia is trying to draw Washington into reconstruction which would essentially bypass any political solution.”
Russia’s proposal comes in the wake of Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki last month. Putin suggested Syria could present “the first showcase example” of the U.S. and Russia working together more closely on global crises such as the reconstruction of Syria. According to Russian authorities, around 20 percent of Syrian citizens abroad now wish to return to their homeland.
“Russia and the United States apparently can act proactively and take considerable leadership on this issue, and organize the interaction to overcome a humanitarian crisis and help Syrian refugees to go back to their homes,” Putin said at the summit.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.