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Russia to continue supplying humanitarian aid to Syria on alternative routes — diplomat

Bulgaria has closed its airspace to Russian cargo planes with relief aid for Syria

NIZHNY TAGIL (Sverdlovsk region), September 9. /TASS/. Russia will continue to supply humanitarian aid to Syria on alternative routes, bypassing the airspace of Greece and Bulgaria, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS on Wednesday on the sidelines the Russia Arms Expo-2015 (RAE-2015) exhibition.

"Of course, alternative routes will be found," he said, answering a question about the way Russia intends to deliver aid to Syria after the closure of the Bulgarian and Greek air corridors.

He did not specify through which countries Russian aircraft with humanitarian aid will fly.

"I regret that under pressure from Washington and apparently under pressure from Brussels, where the NATO and EU headquarters are located, some countries are deviating from, what I would call, their international duty, namely, the provision of air corridors to the aircraft involved in the settlement of humanitarian problems," Ryabkov said.

According to him, the international community is well aware of the humanitarian situation is Syria, the suffering and sacrifices of the Syrian people. To impede in this situation the practical steps to improve the situation, displaying a declarative, verbal "care," is hypocrisy, said Ryabkov.

On Monday, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that it had received a US request to close its air space for the flights of Russian aircraft with humanitarian cargoes for Syria. The Greek side says that the Russian side has chosen the route to the east of Greece for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria. On the same day, Bulgaria refused to provide an air corridor to Russia for these purposes.