SYRIAN Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad denounced Western sanctions yesterday as “catastrophic” for his country’s people, branding them a form of “economic terrorism” aimed at destablising the region.

He was speaking in a video conference of leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a group of 120 countries including South Africa, Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, when he hit out at the “illegal and coercive measures.

“During the past 10 years, Syria has been subjected to the most violent and heinous terrorist war imposed on it by countries that used terrorist organisations and various entities associated with them, as well as foreign terrorists from more than 100 countries, as a tool to implement their subversive policies and achieve their geopolitical agendas at the expense of the security and stability of Syria and countries of the region,” he said.

Last year, the United States imposed the Caesar Act, which includes a raft of punitive sanctions against Syrian officials and bans companies worldwide from trading with Damascus.

Shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies have caused immense difficulties for the Syrian people as Washington tries to starve them into submission in its bid to bring down the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Mr Assad has blasted the sanctions as a “new stage of economic warfare” begun by the US following the failure of its military campaign waged through a multitude of jihadist groups that have been armed, trained and funded by Washington under the covert Operation Timber Sycamore programme.

Damascus deems the Caesar Act “a crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of the international law that targets the livelihood of the Syrians,” Mr Mekdad told delegates.

“The illegal coercive measures imposed by the US and the European Union on the Syrian people have caused big suffering to them and left catastrophic effects on aspects of their daily life, as well as limited the ability of state institutions to provide services and basic needs for them,” he added.

The foreign minister called on the NAM member states to help the Syrian people win the lifting of the sanctions, which have worsened the situation in the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Mekdad said that Syria remained determined to rid itself of all foreign occupying forces, including those of the US and Turkey, along with their jihadist allies. He also warned Israel against continuing its attacks.

Resistance to the US presence in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq has intensified in recent weeks, with US bases in both countries being targeted.

This reflects widespread opposition to the occupying forces, which seek regional domination on behalf of US finance capital.