The Syrian government has stepped up calls for the lifting of US and EU economic sanctions in the wake of Monday’s earthquake.
Aid groups working from government-controlled areas in Syria have pointed to a lack of heavy machinery and medical equipment needed to clear debris and treat those injured as a result of sanctions. of the West.
The measures taken against Syria are intended to pressure the regime into a political process that would end the ongoing civil conflict.
Some contexts: Most of the casualties from the earthquake in Syria were reported in the northwest of the country, mainly in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartus, according to the state news agency SANA.
The region has struggled to rebuild vital infrastructure badly damaged by repeated air raids during the country’s civil war, which the United Nations estimates has claimed. 300,000 lives since 2011.
Half of the population of 4.6 million people in northwestern Syria have forced out of their home by the conflict, with 1.7 million people currently living in tents and refugee camps in the region, according to the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF.
Several areas in northwestern Syria, including Idlib, are still controlled by anti-government rebels.
On Wednesday, the Syrian government’s Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, called on Europe to send aid, saying sanctions should not be used “as an excuse”.
“Sending aid from Europe does not need to go through a bureaucratic process. International law stipulates that humanitarian aid is not subject to sanctions, so this is not an excuse,” Mekdad told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen news agency.
When asked if the regime would allow aid into rebel-controlled territories, the Syrian government said that international aid would only be distributed by the Syrian government.
“The Syrian state is ready to allow aid to all regions, provided that aid does not reach terrorist armed groups,” Mekdad said.
“In Syria, we have a partner in the form of NGOs that are providing humanitarian assistance,” said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Price added: “These partners, unlike the Syrian regime, are there to help the people rather than torment them.
CNN’s Rhea Mogul, Isil Sariyuce, Gul Tuysuz and Jack Guy contributed reporting.
