OREANDA-NEWS. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on the leadership in Damascus to make genuine efforts for a peaceful settlement in Syria. «The Syrian regime and it's supporters must finally realize, that only a serious political process can ensure a stable future for the country. Imitation of elections in a destroyed country is not a substitute for genuine negotiations», he said on Tuesday, March 30, on the second day of the international virtual donor conference on Syria, organized by the UN and the European Union.

The tragedy in Syria should not last for another ten years, Maas stressed, noting that ten years have passed since the beginning of the war in this country, but the situation of people has been and remains catastrophic. «In this situation, the world community must give the war-weary people new hope», he said.

According to Maas, Germany strongly supports any efforts aimed at a political settlement, fighting lawlessness and helping people in Syria and neighboring countries. The German Foreign Minister promised, that at the current conference, Germany will again announce the allocation of a «substantial amount» to help Syrian refugees and will call on other countries to show generosity as well. Last year, at a similar conference, donors promised to allocate 6.9 billion euros to Syria for 2020 and beyond. Germany then agreed to provide 1.6 billion euros. The official representative of the German government Steffen Seibert on March 29 said, that at the current conference, Germany will promise to allocate a similar amount.