The Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties has for the first time delivered first aid products to the settlements of Aliya, Tel Umm Urhawa, Tel Efendi, Kashma Zipkai and Rago, located along the M-4 highway in the north-east of Syria, where ethnic Kurds live, Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Breduchev, head of the humanitarian cargo formation group told reporters.
"This is the first time we conducted a humanitarian action on the M-4 highway in the settlements that are located near it. The peculiarity of this humanitarian action in the northeast of Syria is that we drive along this highway, we stop, we show the hospitality and warmth of the Russian Federation. We have seen that this food aid is really necessary and the humanitarian situation is more difficult than we imagine," Breduchev said.
He noted that there was a good messaging system between the villages and the news of the Russian humanitarian action spread quickly, with 200 people gathering in the settlements. "We were met with great cordiality. Food packages were also given to shepherds who live between settlements," Breduchev noted.
During the campaign, the military handed out more than 1,000 kits with the inscription "Russia is with you." The food kits contain rice, milk, flour, tea and condensed milk, the Center specified.
"We express our gratitude to Russia for the humanitarian aid provided, for being with us in such a difficult moment. We also express our special gratitude to the Russian president," Feras Mohammed, a resident of the village of Kashma-Zipkai, told reporters.
According to the Center, more than 2.8 thousand humanitarian actions have been carried out since the beginning of the settlement process in Syria. The total weight of the delivered cargo exceeded 4.9 thousand tons. The geography of Russian humanitarian aid is constantly expanding.
M-4 highway
The M-4 highway from Hasakeh to Aleppo in the north of Syria is of strategic importance. It connects the industrial center of Aleppo with other large cities. The road remained under militant control until 2019 when Russia's efforts under a memorandum of understanding signed with Turkey on the situation in northeastern Syria provided a 12 km wide security corridor along the road.
The Russian military provides security for the movement of civilian vehicles both on the highway itself and in the surrounding areas. In total, more than 50,000 vehicles and 90,000 people have been escorted since May 2020.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS