Moscow concerned about high numbers of Syrian refugees
MOSCOW. Aug 20 (Interfax) - The unilateral sanctions the United States and the European Union have imposed on Syria are a cause of the growing numbers of refugees, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The unsettled domestic crisis in Syria has created numerous problems, amongst them the rapid growth in the number of Syrian refugees. According to the latest UN report, some 1.7 million Syrians have fled the country. They are seeking refuge in neighboring states from extremist violence and the disastrous situation that has resulted from the economic breakdown caused by unilateral sanctions by the United States, the EU and others against the Syrian Arab Republic," says a report published on the ministry website.
International public attention has been focused on northeastern areas of Syria with the predominantly Kurdish population where refugees have moved on their way to Iraqi Kurdistan, the ministry said.
"Thousands of people, mostly women and children, abandon their homes to hide from the atrocities committed by the militants of the terrorist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," the ministry said.
"Moscow is profoundly concerned about the deteriorating refugee situation and considers the solution of the humanitarian crisis to be a crucial element of the comprehensive settlement formula," the ministry said.
It stressed that Russia was focusing its efforts on assistance to all affected Syrian citizens, among them refugees staying in neighboring countries. "We do not discriminate among people in distress by their nationality or religion. Our assistance is given to everyone, without exception," the ministry said.
