UNESCO is closely monitoring the repercussions caused by the earthquake and sent a mission from the regional office in Beirut to assess the damage that has been caused to educational and cultural institutions and archaeological sites to provide all possible support, Azoulay said following receiving credentials the Ambassador Louay Fallouh as Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to UNESCO at the organization’s headquarters in Paris.

Ambassador Fallouh, in turn, underlined Syria’s interest in strengthening existing cooperation relations with UNESCO in all sectors.

Fallouh also briefed the organization on the efforts made by the Syrian government to confront the terrorist acts that targeted all Syrian institutions, including educational, cultural and archaeological sites.

He also pointed out the aftermath of the earthquake, which killed thousands of victims and causing massive damage to the infrastructure and sites, including educational and archaeological ones that some of which are inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Fallouh affirmed that the illegal Western coercive measures imposed on Syria, in addition to the recent Israeli aggression that targeted an archaeological site in the capital, Damascus, which is part of the world cultural heritage, increased the disastrous repercussions.