Displaced people prepare to leave the al-Hol camp in the northeastern province of Hasakah, Syria on Nov. 16, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)

 
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged western countries to lift sanctions against Syria, Press TV reported on Sunday.

"All unjust and illegal sanctions against the Syrian government and people must be lifted, particularly under the current conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic," Zarif said during a meeting with visiting UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in the capital Tehran.

Zarif criticized some western countries for what he called "obstructing" political process for crisis management in the Arab country.

"In recent years, good opportunities have arisen to end the crisis" in Syria, but they have been squandered by some states, Zarif was quoted as saying.

For his part, Pedersen stressed Iran's important role in a peaceful settlement of crisis in Syria.

Over the past years, the United States and European Union have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Syria.