Russia, Syria Call on UN to Urge US to Withdraw Troops From Syria

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia and Syria are calling on the global community and the United Nations to take a principled stand and urge the United States to withdraw its troops from Syria as soon as possible, the joint Russia-Syria coordination centre on refugee repatriation said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are calling on the global community, on UN relevant structures and on international humanitarian organizations to take a principled stand and exercise influence on the United States in order to urge it to withdraw its troops from the illegally occupied Syrian territories as soon as possible, as these troops support illegal armed groups and prevent Syria from returning to normal life", the statement read.

READ MORE: US Lawmakers Call on Trump to Withdraw Troops From Syria Within Six Months

Both countries also called on Washington and Brussels to lift economic sanctions against Syria, stressing that the restrictions complicated acquisition of medical products and raw materials for producing medical products.

"We are calling on the United States and the European Union to lift Syria economic sanctions. Such restrictive measures do not promote the solution of pressing humanitarian and socioeconomic problems that Syria faces", the statement read.

US forces have been operating in Syria as part of an international coalition to fight the Daesh* terrorist group for about four years without the permission of either Damascus or the UN Security Council. The number of troops, however, has been declining since, in December, US President Donald Trump claimed victory over Daesh, promising to withdraw at least 2,000 troops from the Middle Eastern country in the near future.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia