Russia, Syria slam Trump statement on status of Golan Heights

Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Syrian government condemned on Friday US President Donald Trump’s statement that it was time to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that a change in the status of the Golan Heights would be a direct violation of United Nations decisions, RIA news agency said in a report citing ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

READ MORE: Trump: Time for US to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights

The comments came after a statement by Trump, who tweeted on Thursday it was time to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights that Israel seized from Syria in 1967.

The Syrian government said it was determined to recover the area “through all available means.”

Syrian state news agency reported that a Syrian foreign ministry source said Trump’s statement showed “the blind bias of the United States” towards Israel. The statements did not change “the reality that the Golan was and will remain Syrian, Arab,” it said.

“The Syrian nation is more determined to liberate this precious piece of Syrian national land through all available means,” the report said.