Canada shuts down embassy in Syria

Canada has closed its embassy in Syria amid security concerns.

According to the Montreal Gazette, all of the diplomats have already left the embassy located in Damascus.

Despite the closure, the Foreign Affairs Department stated that 1500 Canadians who registered with the embassy are still in the country, with many more unregistered.

The move follows similar action taken by the United States, Britain and France.

Yet many in the Syrian community in Canada are upset that the government has not removed the Syrian ambassador to Canada and close the embassy in Ottawa.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird stated that Canada will continue to place pressure on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to end the violence that has left over 7500 dead.

Baird stated that Canada have widened its sanctions against Syria, including sanctions on the Syrian central bank and the assets of seven government ministers.

Flickr photo: SamueleGhilardi