Russia considers it inappropriate to indefinitely extend the mechanism for cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, which is increasingly being used for political purposes - to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this Arab Republic, a statement issued on Wednesday by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the mechanism for cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria reads.
"In general, in the 6 years since the creation of the cross-border mechanism, the situation in Syria has changed radically - the Syrian government has regained control over most of the national territory and is actively helping its citizens. In this regard, we consider it inappropriate to indefinitely extend such a "temporary and emergency measure" as "cross-border", which is increasingly being used not for a direct humanitarian purpose, but for political purposes - to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the SAR," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Ministry recalled that on July 11, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2533 to extend the mechanism for cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria (12 member countries voted in favor, Russia, China and the Dominican Republic abstained). As a result of the adoption of this resolution, cross-border supplies for those in need in Idlib, which remains outside the control of the Syrian government, were preserved, and the mechanism was extended for 12 months, instead of 6, as previously, which will allow UN specialized agencies to improve the process of planning and preparing humanitarian missions.
The Foreign Ministry noted that the blocking by Western countries of three amendments to the draft resolution, which were made by Russia and China, was regrettable. "We are talking about proposals to include in the regular reports of the UN Secretary-General on the humanitarian situation in Syria information about the impact of unilateral sanctions, to note progress in providing assistance from the interior of the country through the contact lines and to emphasize measures to counter the coronavirus pandemic (agreed passage from UN Security Council resolution 2532). Because of the rejection of our amendments, as well as taking into account our principled position in favor of gradually curtailing the mechanism, we abstained in the vote on the resolution," the statement says.
They also stressed that "Russia has always supported the provision of humanitarian assistance to all those in need throughout Syria in strict accordance with international humanitarian law." "The guidelines for providing humanitarian assistance contained in Resolution 46/182 clearly state that it must be provided at the request and consent of the recipient country's government, while respecting its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
Seeking to discriminate
As the discussions in the UN Security Council have shown, the Foreign Ministry noted, "it is with this point - respect for the norms and principles of international humanitarian law - that Western countries have problems." "This only once again confirms the desire of these countries to use the cross-border mechanism, along with unilateral sanctions that were adopted in circumvention of the UN Security Council and extended despite the UN Secretary-General's call for their weakening in the face of the pandemic, to discriminate against government territories and increase the suffering of Syrians living there," the Ministry noted.
Necessary measures
The Russian Foreign Ministry expects that "in the coming period, the necessary measures will be taken to establish a sustainable humanitarian supply to all parts of Syria from the interior, in coordination with Damascus."
"The activation of humanitarian supplies to the North-East of Syria after the closure of the Yarubiyah checkpoint on the Iraqi border allowed not only to increase the level of provision for the needs of the local population (from 35% in 2019 with the open Yarubiyah to 50% in six months in 2020), but also to show that cross - border supplies have the right alternative, "the Ministry stressed.
"We do not see any justification for further delays in sending a joint UN/ International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)/Syrian Red Crescent Society (SRCC) convoy to Atareb and Darat Izza in the Idlib de-escalation zone. The mission was agreed by the Syrian government and was supposed to take place on April 20, but was allegedly postponed due to the risk of bringing the coronavirus to the Northwest. On July 10, according to the UN, the infection was still detected in Idlib, which makes the task of providing assistance to those in need even more urgent," the statement concludes.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS