UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The unilateral economic sanctions against Damascus inflict serious damage to the country's development, Syrian UN envoy Bashar Jaafari said.
"Some states have introduced unilateral economic sanctions against important areas of the Syrian economy, such as the financial sector, investment and energy. It causes significant damage to Syria and the country's development," Jaafari said Saturday.
The envoy added that the ongoing pan-European refugee crisis, caused by hundreds of thousands of Syrians leaving the country, “is the result of some countries’ erroneous approach."
Since the beginning of the war, the United States and some of its allies have supported the moderate Syrian opposition and called for Assad's resignation.
Besides, Washington, along with a number of allied countries, have maintained and expanded a sanctions regime against Syria's economy and individual officials for more than a decade.
