Sergey Zheleznyak, a member of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, supported the Syrian authorities' demand for Western countries to lift sanctions.
The spread of the coronavirus in the Arab Republic, weakened by the war, according to the parliamentarian, can be a disaster for this country and negatively affects the situation with the pandemic.
"The demand of the Syrian authorities to Western countries to lift sanctions is justified and must be fulfilled. There is no doubt that due to continuing terrorist attacks and the difficult humanitarian situation, the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in a country plagued by war, with a destroyed economy and social sphere, can become a disaster," Zheleznyak said, in particular.
The immediate end of the external economic blockade, according to him, will allow the Syrian authorities to focus their forces and resources on preventing the spread of the epidemic. This also applies to other countries that are under sanctions.
"The world is faced with a common problem, fighting against which is possible only by dropping all strife, political ambitions, lifting sanctions and illegal restrictions in order to protect the maximum number of people from infection," the politician stressed.
Officially, there are no cases of coronavirus infection in Syria. Nevertheless, the authorities of the Arab Republic imposed a number of strict restrictions, in particular, air traffic with all countries where the virus outbreak was recorded was stopped, and the land border with Lebanon was closed. Cafes, restaurants, museums and other public places are closed throughout the country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin / TASS