BEIJING, April 24. /TASS/. Russia voices concerns about the statements of Western countries that there is no need to provide assistance in restoring the areas controlled by Damascus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday.

"Speaking on Syria’s restoration, we are very alarmed by the West’s loudly announced stance that they won’t provide any assistance to those areas which are under control of the Syrian government," Lavrov stressed.

According to Lavrov, the international donors’ conference on Syria opening in Brussels on Tuesday will become a litmus test. "We will see how the conference’s organizers, most notably the European Union, and other Western countries and participants will outline their stance on the pressing tasks of restoring Syria’s economy," Lavrov said.

The second international donors' conference on Syria is due to be held in Brussels on April 24-25. Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, the United States, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and all EU member-states and other countries are expected to attend the forum. Neither Syrian authorities nor the opposition have been invited to take part in the conference, an EU official said.

Representatives of Syria’s civil society have received invitations to attend the conference. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will also participate in the Brussels meeting. The EU hopes that the international community will allocate more than $6 bln for Syria.