Ukraine's government prepares sanctions against Syria, National Security Council to review them

Friday, 7 April 2023, 17:48

At a meeting on Friday, 7 April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported submitting a proposal on the introduction of sanctions against Syria for consideration of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.

Source: Press office of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

The proposals were previously reviewed and recommended for submission to the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Implementation of the State Sanctions Policy under the chairmanship of Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy.

The following sanctions are proposed against Syria:

  • limit trade operations in terms of banning export-import operations with residents of the Syrian Arab Republic, processing operations with resident enterprises of the SAR, and banning investments in Syria;
  • completely stop the transit of resources, flights, and transportation by residents of the SAR through the territory of Ukraine;
  • stop the fulfilment of economic and financial obligations in favour of the residents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to prevent their withdrawal of capital by residents outside the borders of our state;
  • prohibiting the National Bank of Ukraine from registering international payment systems operated by SAR resident, stopping the service of electronic means of payment (including transfers, making calculations and issuing cash) issued by residents of the Syrian Arab Republic,
  • prohibit the transfer of technologies, rights to objects of intellectual property rights to residents of the Syrian Arab Republic;
  • prohibit the entry of non-military vessels and warships under the flag of the SAR into the territorial sea of Ukraine, its internal waters, and ports.

The government explained that the sanctions are being introduced because Syrian ships participated in the illegal export of grain from the occupied territory of Ukraine, Syria "recognized" the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples’ Republics, supplied Russia with weapons and fully supported the Putin regime.

"Sanctions have already been imposed on Bashar al-Assad and other Syrian leaders. Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic, and is suspending and cancelling interstate agreements concluded in previous years. Today, the Government has proposed a final tough but absolutely adequate response to Syria's position – the imposition of sectoral sanctions against the country for a period of fifty years. Thus, the issue of economic relations with Syria will be terminated for a long time," Svyrydenko said.

Sanctions will enter into force after the adoption of a relevant decision by the National Security and Defence Council, its implementation by the president and approval by a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament).

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