30 Jun, 2022 17:27
Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with Middle East state
Kiev also wants to impose a trade embargo on Syria over its recognition of the Donbass republics
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that it’s severing diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in Donbass.
In a statement published on its website, the ministry said it “strongly condemns” Syria’s decision, which it considers an “unfriendly act against Ukraine” and an “encroachment on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“In response to this unfriendly act, Ukraine declares the severance of diplomatic relations with Syria without the severance of consular relations,” the message reads further.
Kiev has also said that it intends to impose a trade embargo on Syria and is considering “other sanctions on Syrian legal entities and individuals.”
On Wednesday, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying that theSyrian Arab Republic has decided to recognize the independence and sovereignty of both the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic
Following Russia, Syria has become the second country among UN members to formally recognize the independence of the two states which make up the Donbass region. Both of the republics decided to break away from Kiev’s control in 2014 after a Western-backed coup ousted the democratically-elected president Viktor Yanukovych. Their decision prompted Kiev to try and reclaim the areas by force, leading to an eight-year conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/558166-ukraine-cuts-ties-syria/