Mezentsev : Western measures hinder the reconstruction of Syria

Head of the Russian side in the Syrian-Russian Coordination committees General Mikhail Mezentsev said: “The Syrians, who have returned to their houses, receive medical care, food aid and other things, and the families are also transported to the places they have chosen, and job and education opportunities are secured.

His remarks came in a speech he gave on Monday during the opening session of the joint meeting of the Syrian-Russian Coordination Committees being held in Damascus.

Mezentsev made it clear that 987 educational institutions, 255 medical institutions, 4,966 residential buildings and more than 14.4 thousand industrial facilities, as well as bridges, highways, power lines, water facilities and bakeries have been rehabilitated.

He underscored the need to enhance the efforts of the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and to assist the government in creating suitable conditions for the return of the Syrians to their areas.

Mezentsev warned that the restrictive Western measures being imposed on Syria hinder the reconstruction of the country, and that the illegitimate presence of foreign forces on Syrian lands prevents the  restoration of stability of the situations in the areas where they are spread.

The Syrian-Russian joint meeting to follow up the work of the International Conference on the Return of Syrian Refugees and Displaced people, who were forced to leave their homeland because of terrorist groups’ crimes, started on Monday at the Conferences Palace in Damascus.

The three-day event will discuss the measures adopted by the Syrian state to create suitable conditions for the return of Syrian refugees and provide decent living conditions and a comfortable environment in coordination and cooperation with the Russian Federation.

The International Conference on Return of Syrian Refugees was held in November 2020, and it called on the international community to provide appropriate support in order to provide housing for the displaced people and their return to normal life and increase its contribution and support to Syria through carrying out projects related to reconstruction, including basic infrastructure facilities such as water and electricity plants, schools, hospitals, health and medical care, social services, and demining.

Basma Qaddour