The recent strong earthquake that occurred in the adjacent areas of Turkey and Syria has killed more than 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria. The damage caused is very serious. The people in the earthquake area are in urgent need of assistance. Many countries and international organizations, including China, quickly responded. Give a helping hand. At this time, the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Syria have brought serious obstacles to Syria’s earthquake relief and external assistance to Syria. Many foreign media and overseas netizens have condemned the United States and called on it to immediately stop sanctions against Syria.
Iran’s “Tehran Times” reported on the 8th that the US sanctions directly led to the deterioration of the Syrian earthquake casualties. The report pointed out that in the face of natural disasters, countries should temporarily put aside their differences and extend a helping hand of humanitarian assistance to the affected countries, while the United States and its allies refuse to provide assistance to the Syrian government. “The death toll continues to rise, but the urgently needed disaster relief equipment cannot be delivered to Syria.” The report mentioned that many governments worry that providing aid and related equipment to Syria will offend the United States and violate the US unilateral sanctions against Syria.
The report pointed out that although the United States stated that it would provide assistance to Syria through non-governmental organizations without contacting the Syrian government, it is through these organizations that the United States provides financial support for military and terrorist activities in Syria. The report quoted experts as saying that the aid will only end up in the pockets of terrorists, rather than for post-disaster relief.
The report reads, “A number of sources revealed to the Arab media that a large number of air cargo companies are afraid to land at Syrian airports for fear of US and European sanctions. Many countries have proposed to require Syrian civil aviation passenger planes to participate in the transportation of relief supplies to avoid sanction”. At the end of the report, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad emphasized that the sanctions against Syria have increased the hazards of the disaster. “If Western countries fail to fulfill their humanitarian obligations, history will not be forgotten.”
The official website of the Quincy Institute of National Affairs of the United States issued a document on the 8th stating that the US sanctions on Syria have seriously hindered the provision of post-earthquake relief to Syria. The article stated that even before the earthquake, US sanctions had created obstacles to Syria’s post-war reconstruction efforts and brought additional suffering to Syrian civilians. The article warned that the United States should act quickly to suspend or lift sanctions against Syria so that relevant agencies and other governments can provide effective help to solve the plight of the Syrian people.
The Russian Satellite News Agency published an article on the 9th that Xavier Castellanos, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said in an interview that the sanctions against Syria have caused The price increase of goods has increased the cost of rescue and delayed humanitarian aid operations.
Overseas netizens were outraged by the situation that the Syrian victims in dire straits are still suffering extra suffering due to the sanctions imposed by the United States. They have denounced the US government on social media platforms and called on it to stop unilateral sanctions against Syria:
Immediately lift sanctions on Syria.
Sanctions against Syria are a crime against humanitarianism, human rights and children’s rights. #stop sanctions against syria
End executioner sanctions and blockades, stop bombing Syria, stop stealing oil from it, stop financing armed groups to kill (local）people.
Refusing to lift sanctions even in the face of earthquakes. The behavior of the United States is reminiscent of D. H. Lawrence’s famous saying: “The essence of the American soul is hard, isolated, cold, and the soul of the murderer. This ice has never melted.”