MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Restoring monuments that were ruthlessly decimated by terrorists in the Syrian cities of Palmyra and Aleppo, has gotten stalled due to pressure being exerted on the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday at a session of the country’s Commission for UNESCO.

"Due to the serious damage which terrorists inflicted on the Middle East’s richest cultural and historic heritage, we are trying to reactivate the work of UNESCO in order to restore the monuments in Palmyra and Aleppo. Unfortunately, the initial positive signals have now been slowed down due to ongoing pressure on the UNESCOI secretariat, which only demonstrates the grievous fact that political rationale still trumps common sense," the top diplomat noted.

The ancient city of Palmyra was an important hub along ancient trade routes, particularly the Great Silk Road, in Western Asia. Its heyday stretched from the 1st-3rd century AD, when a number of architectural monuments were built in the city, which have been preserved in the desert up to this day.

Palmyra’s architectural museum complex is ranked among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.