Contracts with Syria have been suspended until the situation is normalized, said Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Georgy Petrov Friday.

"It is impossible to maintain the previous level of economic contacts under the current political circumstances in Syria. There were a number of projects, among them construction of hotels, water resources management and energy. Yet security of Russian citizens goes first," he told Itar-Tass news agency.

He said cooperation will not resume in full until normalization is attained, and the chamber was closely monitoring the developments and interacting with the Russian Foreign Ministry.

However, the official stressed that the contracts are only suspended, not canceled.

"Russia wants to restore the long-standing economic relations with Syria," he said.

Petrov added that the tourism cooperation with Syria has also been suspended.

Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the country would not provide military assistance to the Syrian government if Damascus is attacked.