Last week, Sinn Féin's Seán Crowe met with Mother Agnes Mariam of the Cross, a member of the Melkites – one of the main Christian communities in Syria, according to TheJournal.ie.

While the TD relayed Mother Agnes' message that the Syrian conflict was "not simple as it is being portrayed by elements of international media," Crowe said that he believes the problem "can be resolved" despite being "very complex."

“It is good to hear from an independent Syrian voice with a perspective that we are not hearing from international media. The situation in that country is clearly very complex and the simplistic scenario of  ’bad government, good rebels’ does not reflect its reality,” he said.

“Any analysis of the war in Syria needs to take account of the position of civilian the population and minority groups who are caught in the middle of this war.”

He added that the importance of providing aid and support to Syrian civilians.

“(The Government) can play a role in helping the Syrian people by helping broker a peaceful settlement to a conflict that is in danger of spiralling out of control and they should give every possible support to the reconciliation efforts of people like Mother Agnes Mariam,” he said.

Last week, Mother Agnes met with politicians in Leinster House as part of her week-long visit to Dublin and Belfast to raise awareness of the crisis.

The conflict, which started in March 2011, has claimed the lives of 20,000 people, human rights activists have estimated.