Russia criticizes EU donor conference for Syria

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized on Saturday the 7th donor conference for Syria, held in Brussels earlier this month.

Zakharova said in a statement on the ministry's website that the EU did not listen to the calls of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Türkiye and the Arab states which demanded help with the repatriation of Syrian refugees and alleviated "the unbearable socio-economic burden" of hosting them.

The participants of the EU conference also neglected the UN Secretary-General’s remarks about the "necessity to provide clear assurances that unilateral sanctions do not violate operations to assist Syrians," she said.

Zakharova asked where was the money that was promised by Western countries, saying only $363 million of a promised $4.8 billion was donated, or just 8% of the sum.

She pointed out that since 2014, the US "has been occupying vast territories in the south and northeast of Syria, participating in the plundering of Syrian oil and grain."

She also said that "politically incorrect" topics did not find a place at the conference, which turned into "gatherings of like-minded people," who under the "hypocritical slogans" of assistance and care to those in need, continue to politicize humanitarian tasks.​​​​​​​