Western countries should lift the sanctions they have imposed on Syria in order to facilitate the process of dealing with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. The republic's Housing and Public Works Minister Suhail Mohammad Abdullatif said this on Monday, according to Sana news agency.
"From a moral point of view, this is the least that European countries can do in the face of the disaster that has befallen the Syrian people," he stressed. According to the minister, "the restrictions against Syria affect all sectors of the economy and hinder reconstruction efforts." "The partial lifting of sanctions will not solve the problem, the economic blockade must be completely stopped," Abdullatif pointed out.
The minister cited data according to which the Syrian authorities conducted a technical examination of 22,000 buildings and structures in Latakia, 13,000 in Aleppo and 7,200 in Hama after the natural disaster. "This was done with the aim of detecting buildings dangerous for living and evacuating their inhabitants," he explained. According to Abdullatif, in the three provinces stricken by the earthquake more than 250 temporary accommodation centers for citizens left homeless were created. "In the coming days, 300 more prefabricated houses will be assembled," he said. According to the minister, his ministry is now working to identify sites in the Aleppo and Latakia suburbs that will be used for accelerated construction.
On February 11, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during a visit to earthquake-affected areas of Aleppo and Latakia, called on the republic's government "for a thoughtful approach regarding the phased reconstruction of housing after the earthquake." "It is necessary to take into account all the shortcomings in urban planning in the past years so that the quality of housing for people will be better," he stressed.
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Based on materials from TASS