“The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has declared that aid can now be delivered to northwestern Syria using two additional border crossings with Turkey. This comes after President Bashar al-Assad agreed to open these crossings for a three-month period.”
In a statement, Guterres welcomed President Assad’s decision to open the Bab al-Salama and al-Rahi crossings with Turkey for an initial period of three months, to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid.
“The opening of these crossings, along with facilitating humanitarian access, speeding up visa approval and facilitating travel between centers, will allow more aid to enter faster,” Guterres said.
This came after President al-Assad received Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and his accompanying delegation.
“During his meeting with Griffiths, President Assad emphasized the urgency of delivering aid to all areas in Syria, including those occupied or controlled by armed groups. He also emphasized the importance of international efforts to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, citing it as a crucial necessity for ensuring the stability of the Syrian people and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their cities and regions.”
“The United Nations is working to support relief efforts and meet the humanitarian needs of Syrians,” Griffiths said, pointing to “the Syrian government’s rapid response in rescue and relief work”.
“The UN Security Council convened a special session to discuss expediting aid delivery to the affected areas in northwestern Syria. During the meeting, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, expressed support for the entry of aid through all feasible border crossings and internal routes in northwestern Syria for a duration of three months, as reported by SANA.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
