Türkiye welcomes UN extension of cross-border aid delivery into northwestern Syria

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara welcomes the extension of the UN cross-border mechanism for humanitarian assistance to northwest Syria for a six-month period, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"The UN mechanism plays a vital role in the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance to 4.1 million people in need in this region," said a ministry statement.

The scale of the humanitarian crisis in northwestern Syria and regional stability necessitate the longer-term maintenance of the UN mechanism, it added.

"Türkiye, which has maintained its cooperation with the international community to this end, will continue to do so in the future," the ministry said.

The UN on Monday extended a resolution that allows the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing through Türkiye to deliver humanitarian aid into northwestern Syria, the only remaining available route into the besieged region.

The long-running aid operation has been in place since 2014.

The 15-member Security Council adopted the resolution unanimously, with Russia voting in favor of it in a surprise move. The resolution allows the delivery of humanitarian aid to some 4 million people until July 10.