Zakharova Describes West Collecting Aid For Damascus Amid Syria Sanctions As 'Absurd'

Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova pointed on Friday to the absurdity of the fact that the West was collecting millions of dollars in aid for the Syrian people while at the same time refusing to lift harmful unilateral sanctions imposed on Damascus

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2019) Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova pointed on Friday to the absurdity of the fact that the West was collecting millions of Dollars in aid for the Syrian people while at the same time refusing to lift harmful unilateral sanctions imposed on Damascus.

On Thursday, Brussels hosted the third Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, during which donors pledged to provide almost $7 billion to help Syrians inside and outside the country over the course of this year, while another $2.37 billion were promised for the year 2020 and beyond.

"It is perfectly absurd to, on the one hand, collect money, millions of dollars in aid for Syria and Syrians, talk about the dire situation [they live in], organize non-governmental funds, transfer huge sums into these funds and structures; and on the other hand, introduce .

.. sanctions. These are two perfectly contradictory things," the spokeswoman said.

Zakharova added that Russia had used the conference to open the eyes of the international community to the harmful effects of unilateral sanctions, which only aggravate the humanitarian situation in the Arab country.

The latest Western sanctions were imposed on Damascus by the European Union and the United States in 2011, after the beginning of the nation's civil war, in response to human rights violations allegedly committed by Syrian authorities. The restrictions included travel bans; the freezing of assets belonging both to designated individuals and the Syrian central bank; investment, export and transaction restrictions; among other measures.