UN, EU envoys to Syria call for depoliticizing aid
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The UN envoy to Syria and his European counterpart called for the depoliticization of relief aid for the Syrians affected by the earthquake that struck northern country and southern Turkey on Feb. 6.
“Heartbreak of Syrians continuing. We must continue to stand with all Syrians,” Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria tweeted on Saturday.
Pedersen stressed in his tweet to “depoliticize aid, and get more of absolutely everything-more access via all routes, and more support of all kinds.”
At dawn on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands and injuring many more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
The European Union’s envoy to Syria Dan Stoenescu said that it was unfair to accuse the EU of failing to provide enough help to Syrians following the deadly earthquake.
The deadly earthquake death toll in Syria surpassed 3.581 by Saturday night.
Stoenescu stressed in written comments published by Reuters the EU actually have constantly been providing aid to Syrians for over a decade, and “we are doing so much more even during the earthquake crisis.”
The EU envoy called on the Syrian government to depoliticize the humanitarian aid, expecting Damascus to submit requests for exemptions from sanctions after the earthquake.
“We call the authorities in Damascus not to politicize the humanitarian aid delivery, and to engage in good faith with all humanitarian partners and UN agencies to help people,” Stoenescu added.
Transferring UN and international aid to the earthquake-affected areas in Syria is faced by political obstacles due to various competing zones of control in the country.
Syria is divided into different areas of influence, including government-held areas, those of the Turkish-backed opposition, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) areas. Both the government and the opposition areas are the most affected by the earthquake.