Türkiye welcomes UN bid to extend cross-border aid to NW Syria
UN mechanism played critical role in delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance, says Foreign Ministry
ANKARA
Türkiye on Tuesday appreciated the UN Security Council for extending its mandate for cross-border aid to Syria by six months.
"We welcome the extension of the UN cross-border mechanism for humanitarian assistance to northwest Syria, albeit for a 6 month period, by the UN Security Council on 12 July 2022," the ministry said in a statement.
The UN mechanism played a critical role in the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance to some 4.1 million people desperate for aid in the region, it added.
"Continuation of the operations of the UN mechanism ... without interruption is essential for an effective international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, as well as regional stability," it said.
For the past two years, Bab Al-Hawa crossing near Türkiye’s border has been the only point of entry for UN aid into Syria. The mechanism, which expired on Sunday, was extended earlier in the day.
Nearly 307,000 civilians have been killed in Syria between 2011 and 2021, according to a UN Human Rights Office report released in June.
