Takht-Ravanchi: Unilateral sanctions on Syria prolong the country’s humanitarian crisis, exacerbate the Syrians’ suffering

Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi has stressed that maintaining the unfair unilateral sanctions imposed on Syria prolongs the humanitarian crisis in the country and exacerbates the suffering of the Syrians, particularly in the light of the outbreak of the Cornonavirus pandemic.

Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks on Monday during a UN Security Council session on the humanitarian situation in Syria.

He said that while providing humanitarian aid to Syria is of high urgency, it alone cannot solve the crisis in the country and it can’t be an alternative for essential steps that are very important to attain sustainable security and stability in the country.

The Iranian diplomat reiterated the need to guarantee Syria’s full sovereignty and territorial integrity through completely eliminating the terrorist groups, ending the occupation, securing the Syrian borders, reconstructing the country’s vial infrastructure, creating suitable circumstances for the return of the Syrian refugees to their homeland and achieving more progress in the process of political settlement.

 He made it clear that some countries are using sanctions to attain the goals they have failed to achieve through military or political means, reiterating that using food and medicine as a weapon to threaten the food security of a nation is unacceptable and illegal as it flagrantly violates the UN’s principles and objectives and therefore, it must end immediately.

Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to seeking a political solution to the crisis in Syria and providing continued support to the Syrian people and government.

Hamda Mustafa