MOSCOW, September 4. /TASS/. Terrorists in Syria receive weapons to wage war against the country’s legitimate government from the United States, with hundreds of tonnes of arms supplied since the beginning of the conflict, First Secretary of the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s International Relations Department Alaa Saeed Din Hamdan said on Tuesday.

"Hundreds of tonnes of weapons were transported through the Jordanian ports to end up in terrorists’ hands in southern Syria," he said at the conference titled Countering Illegal Weapons Supplies as Part of the Fight Against International Terrorism. "Close connection has been observed between terrorists’ activity and illegal arms supplies."

"For supplies they use third countries in Eastern Europe, for example, Ukraine and the Balkan states," the diplomat noted.

He noted that, while terrorists receive support, pressure has been exerted on Syria’s legitimate government through sanctions. "We call for lifting the coercive economic measures imposed on Syria, which will make it possible for refugees to return to their homeland," Hamdan added.

The diplomat stressed that Damascus is determined to continue the fight against terrorists operating in the country who continue to pose a considerable threat.

The conference kicked off in Moscow on Monday. A plenary meeting took place on the first day, while on Tuesday the participants discussed various aspects of weapons supplies to terrorists. The conference is timed to coincide with the Day of Solidarity in the Fight Against Terrorism marked in Russia on September 3.