EU logo . File photoBRUSSELS, May 5 The European Union did not invite Russia to the annual «Brussels 6» donor conference for Syria, which will be held May 9-10 in the Belgian capital, a high-ranking European source told reporters. The absence of Russia, which previously participated in such meetings, was the reason that the conference will be held only under the EU presidency, the UN will not act as co-chair.Hungary will not be able to support the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation «in their current form» «The EU decided not to invite Russia to this meeting for obvious reasons, in such conditions the UN decided not to act as a co-chair. We treat this with understanding, because we know how the UN is working, and the role played by Russia in the Security Council,» the European representative said. According to him, the decision not to invite Russia «reflects the reality» after the events in Ukraine. At the same time, the European representative noted that the special representative of the UN Secretary General for Syria, Geir Pedersen, would take part in the conference. In addition, a number of UN agencies will be represented at the highest level. «The ministerial part of the conference will take place on May 10. Its political task is to ensure the support of the UN Special Representative for Syria in his efforts to implement a political settlement, which is still missing. Another goal is to collect financial assistance from international donors for Syria, and for Syrians in the territory Syria, and for refugees in its neighboring countries,» he added. The previous conference on Syria «Brussels-5» was held at the end of March last year. Traditionally, it takes place without the participation of representatives of the current Syrian authorities, with whom the EU has broken off relations. Last year, the conference participants promised to allocate 5.3 billion euros in grants and 5.9 billion in soft loans to help Syrian refugees in 2021-2022. Damascus said it would not accept a conference on Syria in Brussels without the participation of a delegation from the Syrian government, and the chosen format violates the foundations of the UN Charter. The Council of the European Union has previously imposed sanctions against the Syrian government, which are renewed every year. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has repeatedly stated that the EU will not lift sanctions against Syria and will not help reconstruction until the transition of power begins there. At the same time, the EU claims that the sanctions do not prevent it from being the main donor to Syria. In particular, the EU provides assistance to Syrian refugees in states neighboring Syria.
