Hasan Sheikho told KurdPress in an interview that if the United States cares about the Kurds, it should engage in dialogue with the self-ruling Kurdish authority in northern Syria and address them politically, rather than negotiating with just one military group and concluding an oil contract.

“The US has come to Syria not with the permission of the Syrian government, nor at the request of the Arabs and the Kurds, but the United States has come to Syria to pursue its own interests,” Mr. Sheikho the head of the Kurdish Movement in Syria (TKS) and a critic of the ruling and the Syrian Kurdish parties who lives in Erbil, told KurdPress about the recently announced oil contract between the Syrian Kurds and an American oil company.

He continued: "Trump (US President Donald Trump) himself has stated several times that he has come to the north and east of Syria for oil in order to reimburse the expenses he made in Syria."

He further stated that the US military was unable to enter the oil field, so they needed the US oil company to enter the field.

"So far, no contract or agreement has been written; as there was no written deal or agreement for cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD). This oil contract is all based on unknowns, and the United States uses these groups only for its own interests,” the politician explained about the terms and conditions of this oil contract.

Mr. Sheikho stated: "The United States only uses these groups for its own interests and maybe it will give them something. If the United States is right, it should recognize the Kurds politically and give them their rights in the region, not to bring an oil company to make deal with them.”

The head of the Kurdish Movement in Syria noted: "This is not an achievement for the Kurds. They have highlighted the issue too much and have used only the Kurds within their ideology."

He added: "40,000 Kurds were killed and wounded in the war against the IS and the US stopped short of signing a contract with the Kurds anywhere. It does the same now. Trump announced that he has spent millions of dollars for the Kurdish forces and now he is seeking to return the spent capital in Syria.”

"We hope that the United States recognizes the Kurds politically and recognizes their rights, and takes steps in this regard, not to use the Kurds for its own interests," Hassan Sheikho added.

"I called a high-ranking official of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and asked him about this agreement. He was unaware of the nature of this agreement. In fact, the United States does not make the Kurds its oil partner. It may give something to the employees who guard the oil fields, but nothing will benefit the Kurds,” said the politician.

Reporter’s code: 50101