MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. The mistakes the US has made in the Middle East make doubt its policies towards Russia and the approaches to the Ukrainian crisis, which the EU comes to realize as seen from statement by Jean-Claude Junker relations with Russian should be improved, head of the international committee at the Russian parliament (State Duma) Alexey Pushkov said on Friday.
"The US has demonstrated a lack of effectiveness in the Middle East," the legislator said in an interview with TASS. "The attempt to implant democracy in Iraq resulted in birth of the Islamic State (IS) and occupation of up to 40% of the Iraqi territory," he said. "The country is on the edge of falling apart, and it is not a mere coincidence Bagdad despite its ally relations with the US actually has joined the Russia-Syria-Iran coalition to fight IS."
Besides, he said, Libya is still far from stabilizing, "IS has base spots there, and now comes Syria."
The US policies in the Middle East demonstrate "Washington cannot cope with the undertaken task of the world leader." This, the legislator said, "makes doubtful the US policy towards Russia in relation to the crisis in Ukraine."
"The reputational damage, the US had in the Middle East, the unconvincing speech of Barack Obama at the General Assembly in New York, the fact he clearly gave in to Vladimir Putin at the General Assembly — as the Russian president presented detailed, long-term suggestions on fighting the realistic, not invented, threats — I believe this influences a major part of the European political class," he said.