Havana - Western sanctions imposed to the Syrian society have aggravated the suffering of the people, amid a war worsened from abroad, Deputy Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Samer Al Khalil, said here today.

Leading a Syrian delegation to the 34th Havana Trade Fair, FIHAV-2016, Al Khalil said that one of the issues that worsen the anxiety and hardship of its people are the blockade and the sanctions of the United States and the European Union (EU) in relation to his country.

Cuba and the Cuban society can clearly understand those actions worsened in recent years because they are aware of what 'the effects of a brutal blockade means,' the deputy minister said in a conversation with journalists from the Prensa Latina news agency and the Russian news agency TASS.

USA and EU have unilaterally decided to impose collective sanctions in Syria, amid a fierce war imposed to the country more than five years ago, preventing exports of our products and goods, he warned.

According to Al Khalil, this punitive policy also affects the banking system to prevent any kind of trade agreement between Syria and other States, and at the same time, prevent any transactions with abroad.

The Arab nation is involved in FIHAV-2016 with the promotion of food products, textiles, cosmetics, handicrafts and jewelry, in one of the stand of ExpoCuba's 24 pavilion, where Argentina, Bolivia, Croatia, Spain, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Russia and Uruguay, among 20 countries, are also exhibiting.