Germany and France signal support for Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S. agreement to extract oil

BERLIN / PARIS — Germany and France have signaled their support for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the United States, saying they consider the move of benefit for the Syrian people and argued that it would help raise the standard of living and improve services in the region.

The MOU was preceded by a year’s long discussion between SDF leaders and U.S. and European officials, according to Akhbar 24.

A French diplomatic source stated that the MOU was reviewed by Paris and Berlin and the two countries accepted the agreement and described it as positive.

According to the same source, the MOU outlines an agreement that will be for the benefit of the people of North and East Syria through the creation of modern refineries and reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by the war.

The source pointed out that for the Syrian people as a whole to benefit from the extraction of the region’s oil, it must be done so by responsible parties and the SDF is the only moral and legitimate force capable of the task.

The infrastructure destroyed by the Islamic State has never been properly repaired and continues to hamper the ability of thousands of Syrians from returning to their homes and forcing them to emigrate to Europe.

The source stressed that oil profits would be spent on infrastructure projects in North and East Syria and that the Syrian people were the primary beneficiaries of the agreement.

On the negative reactions of Turkey, Syria, and Iran to the agreement, the French diplomatic source said that they are to be expected given their disposition towards the SDF and own desire to enrich themselves through the extraction of the region’s oil.