To ask Her Majesty's Government what was their response at the time to the appeal made on 23 August 2016 to lift international sanctions against Syria by three Christian Patriarchs residing in Damascus; and whether they intend to give the matter renewed consideration.
Answered on
18 December 2017
The Government is aware of the appeal made on 23 August 2016 by the Christian Patriarchs to lift international sanctions against Syria. We continue to believe that sanctions we support against Syria are justified. Sanctions have been imposed to constrain the Assad regime's ability to wage war against the Syrian people, and to help bring about a long-term political solution. While it is impossible to avoid impacting the Syrian civilian population, the EU has created a number of mechanisms to allow for humanitarian aid to continue. As the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in Syria since 2011, the UK is at the forefront of the response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict. All EU sanctions against the Assad regime are annually reviewed and agreed by each of the 28 EU Member States.