The restrictive measures taken by several Western countries against Syria are a severe blockade, and the sanctions regime itself is the most ambitious and confusing that has ever been introduced against a sovereign state. This was stated by the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights and freedoms of Idris Jazairi.

In a report, a functionary of the World Organization emphasized that sanctions against the ATS primarily affect its citizens.

“In general, the comprehensive economic sanctions that a number of states and regional organizations continue to impose on the Syrian Arab Republic can be qualified as a situation that actually constitutes a severe blockade of this country,” RIA Novosti quoted Jazairi as saying.

The UN Special Rapporteur points out that experts assess these measures as inhuman and destructive, as they exacerbate the situation of Syrians, who are experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to a protracted war.

Jazairi announced a tightening of the ban on oil exports to Syria and the introduction of targeted sanctions against companies from Iran and Russia. According to him, these steps led to a gas crisis in the republic.

“Such measures have a killer effect on the ATS economy and are forcing the government to introduce a gas rationing system. Simple Syrians are becoming victims of this situation, ”the document says. In addition, the civilian population of Syria has lost access to vital medicines and essential medical equipment.

Director of the Institute for Contemporary State Development Dmitry Solonnikov said in an interview with RT that restrictive measures discourage companies that are willing to participate in the restoration of Syria and improve the standard of living of civilians.

“This creates a big problem within Syrian society. But the question is, how can one report, even with the right conclusions, affect the situation? Most likely, this document will not change international opinion, but will benefit the allies of Syria, ”said the expert.

According to him, the meaning of maintaining a tough sanctions regime in the context of the humanitarian crisis is to "remove the legitimate government of Bashar al-Assad."

“Western countries will do everything possible so that the life of the civilian population of Syria worsens further, pushing it to revolt. If you want to live better, first overthrow a regime that we don’t like, and we will help you live better. This is the policy that the West has always pursued and will continue to pursue, ”Solonnikov emphasized.

Humanitarian crisis

In March this year, UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis, Panos Mumcis, stated that the vast majority of Syrians live below the poverty line. He said that residents of Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib and Raqqa, as well as people in refugee camps, need humanitarian assistance.

“For us, this is still a significant humanitarian crisis, this is the second largest humanitarian crisis, given the situation in Yemen, one of the most significant in the world. This is a non-standard situation when it is necessary to provide assistance to 11.7 million people, a massive share of the population, ”he said before the start of the third international donor conference to assist Syria.

According to Mumcis, the protracted armed conflict has led to the fact that up to 85% of Syrians live below the poverty line, which puts them in a dependent and vulnerable position.

Despite statements by UN functionaries, Western countries are in no hurry to provide Syria with humanitarian aid or take any action to improve the lives of its citizens, experts say.

So, in March of this year, the US State Department issued a communiqué stating that Washington, Berlin, London and Paris would not assist in rebuilding Syria until a “genuine political process” began in the country.

  • Syrians on the background of the destroyed house
  • Reuters
  • © Khalil Ashawi

“We clearly declare that we will not consider providing or supporting any assistance for reconstruction until an irreversible and credible, substantive and genuine political process is launched,” the statement said.

At the same time, the US State Department said that Washington intends to allocate $ 5 million to finance the White Helmets. Earlier, activists of this movement were repeatedly convicted of having links with organizations recognized as terrorist, as well as staged shootings and provocations.

Syria recovery

According to analysts, the United States and the European Union are hampering the reconstruction of Syria's infrastructure through sanctions pressure on key sectors of the economy. In particular, restrictive measures prevent foreign companies from investing in the Syrian economy.

This was stated by President Assad. He noted in March this year during a meeting with the assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Chen Xiaodong, that the war against the ATS is now mainly conducted in the form of economic sanctions and blockades.

  • Ruined house in Syria
  • Reuters
  • © Aboud Hamam

So, in early July this year, the Royal Marines and law enforcement services of Gibraltar detained the Iranian tanker Grace 1, flying the Panama flag, in the Strait of Gibraltar on suspicion of delivering oil to Syria, bypassing international sanctions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the actions of the Gibraltar authorities, stressing that it considers the detention of the ship and the cargo on it as a targeted action with the aim of further complicating the situation around Iran and Syria.

Despite the introduction by the EU countries of sanctions against the ATS, the process of restoration of the republic continues. In two years, Russia, Syria and their allies managed to return most of the territory under the control of government forces and concentrate on the humanitarian reconstruction of the country, as well as a political settlement of the situation within the framework of the Astana format.

From mid-July 2018 to April 2019, 138 water supply facilities, 180 bakeries, 631 electrical substations, 14,299 industrial enterprises were commissioned, 158 medical and 847 educational institutions were restored. Over the past six months, about 200 thousand Syrians have returned to places of permanent residence from abroad.

The director general of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin, said in a conversation with RT that American and European sanctions hit primarily the civilian population of Syria.

“In fact, restrictive measures contribute to the preservation of centers of terrorism in the territory of this country. The point is that the legitimate government of Syria is always uncomfortable and subject to irritation from the population that suffered during the war and sanctions. They have not been removed because their task has not yet been achieved - Assad has retained power, ”the expert explained.

The UN finally saw that the humanitarian situation in Syria was appalling, said Alexei Mukhin.

“At the same time, the fact that Russia has long drawn the attention of its Western partners to this situation and calls for joining humanitarian processes in Syria instead of actually supporting terrorists,” the political scientist explained.

According to him, the UN report on the situation in the SAR can lay the foundation for positive processes that in a few years will lead to a change in position on Syria in the West.

“Now they do not want to lose face and admit that they were wrong. But these states should at least participate in the process of rebuilding Syria, since they are directly and directly guilty of what happened to the population of this country, ”Mukhin concluded.