Syria has expressed strong condemnation of the so-called “Brussels Conference” for its recent call against the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
This stance disregards appeals from eight European countries to reassess flawed European policies.
During a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, criticized the Brussels Conference’s position.
He stated, “Syria denounces the stance of the so-called ‘Brussels Conference,’ held a few days ago, which called for the non-return of Syrian refugees.
It would have been more appropriate to allocate funds to facilitate and support their return by enhancing and expanding early recovery projects, and providing essential services and needs.
This requires the immediate, complete, and unconditional lifting of unilateral coercive measures and collective punishment policies imposed by the US and the European Union (EU) against Syrians.”
Ambassador Sabbagh highlighted that the conference’s outcomes ignore recent calls from eight European countries for a reassessment of erroneous European policies and the adoption of new approaches that would enable the voluntary return of refugees.
He emphasized that restoring security and stability and improving humanitarian conditions in Syria necessitate combating terrorism, ending the illegal foreign military presence, and halting associated acts of aggression and support for terrorist entities and militias.
Sabbagh also noted that “Syria continues its constructive cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies operating within its territory, providing them with facilities and support to alleviate the suffering of Syrians and improve humanitarian and living conditions.”
Furthermore, he called on the Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities in stopping the daily massacres committed by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people and addressing Israel’s attempts to escalate tensions in the region by expanding its attacks to include Syria and other countries.
It is also worth noting that earlier this May, US President Joe Biden decided to extend sanctions against Syria for another year.
