Syria, Venezuela urge joint bilateral, intl. efforts to confront US sanctions

  In a telephone conversation on Friday morning, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and his Syrian counterpart, Faisal al-Miqdad, discussed ways to deepen bilateral relations and hailed the two nations’ mutual support for one another in the face of Western hostilities, the Caracas-based Telesur TV network reported. The two top diplomats emphasized the need for Damascus and Caracas to promote their ties with international institutions in coordination with the politically-aligned states so that they can mobilize all their resources to stand up to the West’s pressure policies against independent states. During the talks, Arreaza reiterated Venezuela’s support for Syria’s ten-year-long battles against foreign-sponsored militancy.“The people and government of Venezuela back Syria’s fight against terrorism as well as the resistance (campaign) underway in this country against the hostile plots being hatched by Washington and other Western powers,” Arreaza said.He further voiced Venezuela’s “unchangeable” solidarity with the Syrian nation in its efforts to rebuild the conflict-torn country through reliance on its own domestic capabilities. In turn, Miqdad praised the Venezuelan nation’s power to withstand foreign conspiracies, especially those of the United States. Syria, he said, stands by the Venezuelan people and leadership in their efforts to counter the acts of aggression and the cruel sanctions targeting the Latin American country. In a post on his twitter page following the talks, the Syrian minister said the two sides also exchanged other issues such as the excessive demands of imperial powers as well as the need to strengthen multilateralism within the framework of the newly-formed Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations. The 17-nation coalition was established in March 2021 by UN member states including Iran, Russia, China, Syria, and Venezuela, among other countries subjected to Western sanctions.