LONDON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the EU Council added 10 persons to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures "against the Syrian regime" for alleged repression against the civilians in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and being associated with such individuals. The total number of such persons sanctioned by the European Union currently stands at 217.
"The UK is working tirelessly with our international partners to find a long term solution to the Syrian conflict. We pushed for this and fully support the imposition of these sanctions as another way to increase pressure on the Assad regime and its backers," Johnson said in a statement published on the government's website.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting the Syrian opposition groups striving to overthrow President Bashar Assad. In parallel, Damascus has to counter numerous extremist groups, in particular, the Daesh.
The opposition is being supported by the West — the Unites States and the European Union — which also are in favor of Assad's overthrow, while Russia supports the current leader as the only legitimate Syrian authority.
