Ghalawanji, Mikdad discuss humanitarian and relief situation with Swiss delegation

Damascus – Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs, Local Administration Minister Omar Ghalawanji met on Monday a delegation from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation headed by Swiss Federal Council member, Ambassador Manuel Bessler, discussing with them the state of humanitarian and relief work in Syria and how to improve it.

 During the meeting, Ghalwanji, who chairs the Higher Committee for Relief, briefed the delegation on how humanitarian and relief work in Syria is being carried out in Syria and on the standing cooperation between the Syrian government on one side and UN, international, and foreign organizations, and local NGOs within the framework of the humanitarian response plan.

The Deputy Premier affirmed that the Syrian government is prepared to cooperate with the Swiss Federal Council and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation on the basis of respecting Syria’s sovereignty.

For his part, Bessler said that the Council is prepared to provide humanitarian and relief aid within the system being used in Syria which is based on partnership between the government and organizations, voicing interest in signing agreements to facilitate this process.

In the same context, Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad met the Swiss delegation and discussed with them prospects of cooperation in providing humanitarian aid to people affected by the crisis in Syria, stressing the importance of coordination between humanitarian organizations and the Syrian government in this regard.

During the meeting, Mikdad held terrorist organizations and the states supporting them responsible for the emergence of the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its escalation.

For their part, the delegation members said that the goal of their visit to Syria is to learn about the reality of the humanitarian situation in Syria and discuss cooperation in humanitarian work with the Syrian government.

SANA