ASTANA, November 11. /TASS/. Russia expects European countries to abandon unilateral sanctions against Syria, as this will help address the refugee crisis, Russian Presidential Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters.

"Of course, it is very hard to do all this [solve the refugee problem] with the existing unilateral sanctions against Syria, imposed primarily by the United States and Western countries. We hope for common sense and expect Europe to realize that it is better to abandon the practice of public punishment of people in Syria," Lavrentyev said ahead of the 22nd International Astana Format meeting on Syria, which is being held in the capital of Kazakhstan on November 11-12.

These sanctions affect not only the Syrian people, but also the populations of Lebanon, Iraq, and many other countries, the diplomat noted. "The situation in Lebanon, as I said, is disastrous — a huge number of refugees from Lebanon who are now in Syria are desperate for support," he said. According to Lavrentyev, representatives of international organizations focusing on refugee issues are to take part in the Astana format meeting. Together with them, the participants will have an opportunity to coordinate actions on sending humanitarian aid and providing people in Syria with the necessary support.

The 22nd International Astana Format meeting on Syria is being held in the capital of Kazakhstan on November 11-12. Established in 2017, such meetings are now also known as the meetings in the Astana format. Russia, Iran, and Turkey attend the meeting as guarantor countries in the process of resolving the Syrian crisis. Representatives of the Syrian government and the Syrian armed opposition, as well as the United Nations and countries like Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, are also taking part in the meeting.