EU confirms extension of sanctions against Syrian government

European Union

North-Press Agency

 

A high-ranking European official confirmed on Wednesday that the aim of extending sanctions against the Syrian government is to discourage it from continuing to use violence or chemical weapons.

 

At a press conference in the Belgian capital Brussels, a European official said that extending sanctions against the Syrian government "will send a strong message that the current approach, which includes violence, the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, and the use of chemical weapons is absolutely unacceptable," according to the Russian TASS news agency.

 

The official, who did not want to be named, called for "finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria."

 

Meanwhile, an official in the European Union's Foreign Affairs Authority stated that the sanctions against the Syrian government will be extended soon.

 

It is expected that the European Union (EU) will update its list of sanctions against the Syrian government at the beginning of June in conjunction with the imposition of the US sanctions package associated with the implementation of Caesar Act.

 

Last April, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded Western countries to lift all sanctions due to the danger of the spread of coronavirus in the country.

 

EU sanctions that were imposed on the Syrian government in 2011 banned the export of oil from Syria, banned trade with the Syrian government, prohibited providing it with dual-use technologies, means to monitor and prevent telephone and Internet communications, in addition to imposing restrictions on investments and freezing the assets of the Central Bank of Syria.

 

EU listed the names of 255 figures and 67 entities in Syria on the blacklist.

 

In March, US Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey suggested imposing US and EU sanctions on Russia and the Syrian government in the event of a violation of the ceasefire agreement in the de-escalation zone that was signed between the Russian and Turkish presidents in Moscow.