Russian, Syrian officials demand removal of US sanctions against Damascus, demand withdrawal of occupation troops

Russian and Syrian authorities have urged the United States to completely remove all economic sanctions and punitive measures against Damascus, and withdraw its occupation forces from the energy-rich northern parts of the war-ravaged Arab country.

“The strict sanctions, enforced by the US and its European allies, and the illegal deployment of foreign military forces on the Syrian soil have negative impacts on social, economic and humanitarian situations in the country,” the Russian and Syrian Joint Coordination Committees on Repatriation of Syrian Refugees said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The statement highlighted that removal of the sanctions would help reconstruction of Syria, arguing that certain countries seek to politicize humanitarian issues, such as aid delivery to displaced people.

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The committees went on to say that some Western states obviously continue to support the Takfiri terrorist groups inside Syria, and prolong the presence of terror cells in the Arab country.

On Monday, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Bassam al-Sabbagh, called for the immediate and unconditional removal of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union against his country, emphasizing that the coercive measures have resulted in the suffering of the Syrian nation.

Sabbagh told the Security Council that UN Secretary General António Guterres has ignored the catastrophic impacts of unilateral and illegal sanctions on Syria.

“Any objective evaluation of the humanitarian situation in Syria would reveal that the Turkish military occupation, the forces’ crimes, and their support for terrorist groups are the main reasons behind the status quo,” he said.

West’s sanctions, occupation hinder Syria recovery, return of refugees: Moscow, Damascus

Moscow and Damascus slam the Western sanctions against Syria and the military occupation of the Arab country as the main obstacles to the return of the displaced to their homeland and the country’s recovery.

Sabbagh highlighted that Damascus has put in a lot of effort and greatly assisted the UN and its agencies in order to implement Security Council resolution 2585.

He stressed that the establishment of stability across Syria requires the total elimination of terrorist groups as well as the full withdrawal of US and Turkish occupation forces from the Arab country.

Since 2011, Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy, as a result of which Daesh and other terrorist groups emerged in the country.

The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the US and the EU for waging economic terrorism on the Arab country through their unilateral sanctions, holding them responsible for the suffering of the Syrian people, especially now that the country is grappling with a deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Damascus has been critical of the United Nations for staying silent on the destructive role of the US and EU, among other parties supporting terrorism in Syria.

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