Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to meet members of a Syrian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Kadri Jamil on Tuesday.

The upcoming visit of the Syrian delegation to Russia will be the second one this month. The delegation from the Syrian government first visited Moscow in August, when Russia and Syria reached an agreement on Russian money and oil supplies to Syria.

Jamil told RIA Novosti at a news conference in Moscow on August 3 that unilateral illegal sanctions of Western countries toward Syria had a negative impact on the country’s economy, and Syrians have a particular need for oil and gas.

“These are illegal sanctions and Russia decided to help Syria in the current economic situation,” Jamil said.

On July 23 the EU passed the 17th set of sanctions against Syria, including a tougher arms embargo, in response to escalating violence in the Arab country. Western powers say that the bulk of responsibility for the bloodshed lies with the Syrian government and insist on President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation as the only way to end the crisis, which has already claimed up to 20,000 lives according to Syrian activists.

Russia said the new sanctions amount to an actual blockade of Syria, which contradicts the decisions of UN Security Council and the Geneva Agreements.