Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi stressed the continuity of tourism sector despite the systematic destruction committed by the terrorist organizations to a number of archaeological sites throughout the country.
Meeting Roberto Fiore, head of the delegation of the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) in Europe, and accompanying members, the minister noted that vandalizing archeological monuments and selling artifacts to fund terrorist operations are a loss to all humanity, not only to the Syrian people.
Yazigi highlighted the damage inflicted to the tourism sector in Syria since the very beginning of the crisis as well as the illegal excavation works committed by terrorist organizations, underlining efforts exerted to establish museums with the aim of documenting archaeological sites which have been destroyed.
For his part, Fiore stressed the need for rehabilitating and restoring damaged Syrian ruins, calling for uplifting economic sanctions imposed on Syria.
He indicated to the delegation’s willingness to organize forums and circulate media materials to draw the European community’s attention to what is happening in Syria and conveying the Syrian people’s word and vision to Europe.
In turn, APF member and leader of the Belgian Nation Party, Herve Van Laethem stressed the importance of conveying information obtained from the Ministry of Tourism about terrorists’ systematic destruction of tourist and archaeological sites in Syria to the European Parliament.
R. Raslan / Ghossoun