AANES calls international community to re-open Syria-Iraq Yaroubiyah crossing
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) appealed to the international community and the United Nations to open Yaroubiyah (Tel Kocher) crossing with Iraq, and to separate the humanitarian situation from the political interests of some countries.
The situation of the people and the IDPs in northeastern Syria is exacerbated by the closure of Yaroubiyah (Tel Kocher) humanitarian crossing between Syria and Iraq.
Tel Kocher crossing, which sits on the Syria-Iraq border and is the only crossing through which UN aid may enter the AANES’s regions in Syria’s northeast, has been closed for a year after Russia and China used their veto in the UN Security Council to close the crossing to the passage of UN aid.
On Thursday, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya announced his country’s refusal to reopen the Yaroubiyah crossing (Tel Kocher) with Iraq to bring humanitarian aid into northeastern Syria.
Nebenzia said the proposal to the UN Security Council to reopen the crossing was “a non-starter.”
He also refused to reveal his country’s position on the fate of Bab al-Hawa crossing, which is the only humanitarian crossing into Syria.
The Autonomous Administration demanded, through a statement, that the international community “contribute to saving our besieged people by supporting efforts to open this crossing, which will correct the course of international responsibilities towards our people.”
Tel Kocher crossing constitutes an essential lifeline in northern and eastern Syria, and the decision to close it with a Russian-Chinese veto came as support for the siege policies pursued against the people in the region, the statement added.
After the elimination of the Islamic State (ISIS), the areas held by AANES expanded, and the burden on them increased in the matter of the camps, which are now hosting tens of thousands of displaced people, and this exceeds their absorptive capacity,” according to the statement.
The areas of northeastern Syria are suffering from a difficult humanitarian situation in all respects, especially after the recent Turkish attacks, according to the statement.
He added that the presence of about five million people in the areas of the Autonomous Administration and the continuation of the imposed state of siege portend dire consequences from a humanitarian point of view.
On June 25, the Security Council discussed a draft resolution to introduce aid from the two crossings.
The Russian delegate stressed the need to deliver humanitarian aid through the Syrian government.
Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the regions of northern and eastern Syria have been subjected to many attacks with the aim of exploiting and occupying them and threatening all of Syria and its people, the statement added.
He pointed out that “some people’s vision of this region as separate from Syria is incorrect, as the region and its people are affected by the general situation in Syria.”