Russia’s foreign minister has criticized the United Nations and Western countries for ignoring the dire humanitarian situation in Syria and Damascus’ readiness to help, citing US sanctions and the continued occupation of Syrian territory.
According to the Tass news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a joint news conference at the end of his talks with Helga Schmid, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in Moscow on Monday that the Russian side is ready to examine the humanitarian situation in Syria with the Western countries, if they abandon the unilateral interpretation of the issues and accept the fundamental problems in this country and their responsibility for the general humanitarian situation in Syria.
Lavrov noted that the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib is still difficult despite the efforts of the Turkish side, noting that the main role in the deterioration of the situation in Idlib is played by the terrorist organization “Hiyat Tahrir al-Sham”, which holds many civilians hostage in the region. According to him, at present, this province is the only point where humanitarian aid is provided without the participation of the Syrian government, and the humanitarian situation there is very dire, and unfortunately both the United Nations and Western countries declare the Syrian government’s readiness to send aid.
The Russian Foreign Minister stating that the maintenance of US sanctions against Damascus and the continued occupation of Syrian territory on the east bank of the Euphrates River by US troops was the main reason for the deepening of the difficult humanitarian situation in the country, added: “Meanwhile, the looting of Syria’s natural resources and energy continues, with money being spent on separatist incitement plans and provocations against the legitimate Syrian government.
Sergei Lavrov also noted that some European countries and the United States are preventing the return of Syrian refugees to their country and that all aid collected for Syria will not be spent without the participation of Damascus and in clear violation of UN rules so that refugees can return home.
In another part of the press conference, the head of the Russian Foreign Diplomacy Service stating that in the negotiations with Ms. Schmid, he discussed the implementation of agreements related to the settlement of the military conflict in the eastern regions of Ukraine, stressed: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has maintained and deepened the problem of secession and the deployment of heavy military equipment on the Donbas contact line, contrary to agreements reached at the 2019 Normandy Quartet summit in Paris.
According to him, the OSCE Special Mission in Ukraine should accurately and impartially announce the role of the ceasefire in the Donbas region and act more efficiently to resolve the conflict in the region as soon as possible.
In response to another question, Lavrov noted that it was too early to talk about the impact of the parliamentary elections in Armenia on the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, but it was to be hoped that this would have a positive effect and strengthen peace in the South Caucasus.