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Press release on international humanitarian assistance to Syrian Arab Republic

15 May 2023 11:44
917-15-05-2023

According to incoming information, on May 13 in New York, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic announced its decision to allow UN humanitarian agencies to continue to use two border crossings on the border with Türkiye - Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai - for another three months, until August 13. This measure is known to be sanctioned by President of Syria Bashar al-Assad in order to facilitate and increase urgent assistance to the areas affected by the devastating earthquake that took place on February 6.

Moscow welcomes this sovereign resolution of the Syrian authorities, which is aimed at promoting international humanitarian assistance to all Syrians in need, without political bias but in compliance with the rules and principles of the international humanitarian law, which means in coordination and agreement with the country's government. It is noteworthy to recall other important steps taken by Damascus in connection with the earthquake: blanket approval of humanitarian missions in the country, including the immediate coordination of aid deliveries to the SAR and to all regions along domestic routes, as well as a fast-track procedure for issuing visas to foreign humanitarian workers.

At the same time, it cannot but be noted that, despite the Syrians' massive and urgent needs for humanitarian assistance, which increased dramatically after the natural disaster, the process of providing such support continues to be subject to preconditions with open discrimination against the territories controlled by Damascus. For example, the UN's urgent call for the uncontrolled northwestern regions of Syria was funded promptly and fully, while less than 10 percent of the requested funds have been received under the overall UN Humanitarian Response Plan for the whole country since the beginning of the year. In addition to this, while cross-border deliveries are actually expanding, the sending of internal convoys through the lines of contact has been blocked. Only one such cross-line convoy has passed to Idlib since the beginning of the year (January 8-9). After the earthquake, two columns stood at the entrance to the de-escalation zone, but the militants who were in charge there, recognised as terrorists by the UN Security Council, have not let these consignments or any other missions through. All this has been happening despite the urgent need of Syrian civilians for help, and without a proper response from the international community and the UN leadership.

This situation is yet another clear demonstration of the double standards of the Western countries that are in every possible way promoting a cross-border mechanism for delivering aid to the SAR bypassing Damascus (through the Bab al-Hawa checkpoint) under pseudo-humanitarian slogans. While claiming their alleged donor generosity, the US and its allies have been methodically stealing Syria's natural resources and strangling it with illegal unilateral sanctions. In this context, the Syrian government's decision to prolong the operation of the two additional border crossings that operate without a special UN Security Council resolution shows that assistance to the Syrians can and should be provided, as envisaged by international humanitarian law and with respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.