Autonomous Administration responds to Syrian-Russian allegations about the Tel-Kochar crossing

North-Press Agency 

 

On Thursday, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria responded to the allegations contained in a joint statement issued by the Syrian government and Russia about the purpose of opening the Tel-Kochar/al-Yaroubiya border crossing with Iraq.

 

A joint statement was issued on Wednesday by the Syrian government and Russia in response to a report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the need to open the Tel-Kochar/al-Yaroubiya crossing, in order to effectively confront the corona epidemic in northeastern Syria and to restore the sustainable supplies of humanitarian aid.   

 

The joint statement claimed that the purpose of the opening of the crossing is to transfer weapons to "the Kurdish formations", and to cross armed men and people infected with coronavirus to the territories of the neighboring countries, in addition to smuggling and trade operations. 

 

The statement accused the WHO of "aligning with Western interests at the expense of the Syrian people and the regional security".   

 

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria described the allegations made by the Syrian government and Russia as "inaccurate and flawed", and that "they are related to political attitudes and agendas of Russia and the Syrian government, and  that they have nothing to do with the interests of the Syrian people."  

 

In a statement, the Autonomous Administration confirmed that the Tel-Kochar/al-Yaroubiya crossing was used only for the entry of humanitarian aid, and that the aid provided to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by the Global Coalition countries to counter ISIS, is entered through another crossing that has no connection to the Tel-Kochar/al-Yaroubiya crossing.  

 

The Autonomous Administration noted to the necessity of opening the crossing to provide humanitarian aid and supplies for the residents of the region in order to counter the corona epidemic, where millions of people live in northeastern Syria in addition to tens of thousands of displaced people in the camps, except for al-Hawl and Roj camps.  

 

The Autonomous Administration's statement added that the continued closure of the crossing and depriving the region of receiving the necessary materials to counter coronavirus, such as PCR devices, respirators, sterilizers, medicines, etc., in addition to the economic stress as a result of the devaluation of the Syrian pound, "will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe."   

 

The Autonomous Administration held the countries that prevent the opening of the crossing responsible for the catastrophic consequences of the continued closure for millions of residents. 

 

The Autonomous Administration's statement called on "all parties in Syria not to politicize the humanitarian issues in favor of the power map in Syria." 

 

At a council meeting held at the end of last month, a number of member states had called on the Security Council to help boosting cross-border aid transfers to Syria.    

 

A WHO draft memorandum, which was viewed by members of the UN Security Council, said that aid organizations working with the UN are proposing "the reopening of the al-Yaroubiya crossing as a matter of urgency. This will have a major impact on dealing with COVID-19 in northeastern Syria", according to Reuters.   

 

Nearly four months after its being ceased in UN operations, the WHO deleted the direct appeal for the reopening of the Tel-Kochar/al-Yaroubiya crossing, in an updated version of the memorandum due to the opposition of Russia and China.