UNITED NATIONS, November 22. /TASS/. On November 25, Russia will hold an Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss humanitarian consequences of unilateral restrictive measures, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.

"Another aspect that is directly associated with the hardships of millions of Syrians is the sanctions crusade against Syria. We once again urge the UN representatives not to gloss over the negative impact of the illegal restrictions on the socio-economic situation in the country. In that connection, we invite everyone to participate in the UNSC Arria formula meeting on humanitarian impact of unilateral coercive measures that Russia is holding on November 25," he told the UNSC Briefing on Political and Humanitarian Situation in Syria.

An Arria-formula meeting can be called by any Security Council member who can invite rapporteurs from among public figures or non-government organizations. Other nations cannot block such a meeting but can dodge participation. Such meetings are not held at the Security Council premises and yield no resolutions or official documents. Such meetings have been practiced since 1992 and received their name from Venezuelan Ambassador Diego Arria, who initiated this format.