WORLD youth organisations have lent their solidarity to Syria’s government in its war against foreign-backed terrorists and mercenaries.

A six-day international preparatory meeting for next year’s World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) in Russia closed in the Venezuelan capital Caracas yesterday.

Syria’s official Sana news agency reported that Venezuelan Federation of University Students president Joel Cedeno told the Syrian delegation: “The people of Venezuela follow closely what is happening in Syria and the imperialist attempts seeking to undermine its important role in the region.”

He added that Syria and Venezuela were facing similar offensives from the US and its allies, who seek to “create chaos, wars and division in all countries that don’t comply with their orders.”

Communist Youth of Venezuela international secretary Gabriel Aguirre reiterated his country’s support for the Syrian government’s struggle, saying its victory “will be a victory for all liberation movements all over the world.”

Cuba’s ambassador to Venezuela Rogelio Polanco also stressed his country’s solidarity with Syria and its support for the Syrian people, army and leadership in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Russian ceasefire monitoring centre in Syria said yesterday that some 20 civilians had been killed and 40 injured over the previous 24 hours as Western-backed insurgents allied to al-Qaida’s Syrian branch shelled government-held districts of Aleppo.

On Tuesday, the centre said it had monitored an convoy laden with arms and ammunition crossing the Turkish border into Islamic State-held parts of Aleppo province.