Irwani: The Syrian government helped the United Nations and international organizations to provide relief to all areas affected by the earthquake

New York (ST): Iran reaffirmed that any assistance mechanism for Syria must be carried out in coordination with the Syrian government, and with full respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

IRNA news agency quoted Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Irwani, as saying in a speech before the UN Security Council meeting on Syria: “Despite the tireless efforts of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, the situation in Syria, especially after the February 6 earthquake, remains a big challenge.”

Irwani added: “The Syrian government has opened, by an independent decision, two more border crossings to facilitate the humanitarian response in the affected areas, including areas controlled by terrorist organizations, as the report of the Secretary-General shows that the opening of these two crossings led to an improvement in humanitarian aid access to northwestern Syria, and we  for our part, appreciate the Syrian government’s commitment to assisting the United Nations and other international organizations in providing relief to the areas affected by this crisis.

The Iranian delegate stressed the need to provide neutral and non-political humanitarian aid to all regions of Syria, as well as to plan humanitarian aid in a way that helps rebuild the infrastructure, strengthen the Syrian economy, and support sustainable and long-term development in the country.

Irwani explained that the continuation of unilateral coercive measures constitutes a major obstacle to improving the humanitarian and economic situation in Syria, adding that these illegal measures have had a devastating impact on the economy and people’s living standards, and limited the government’s ability to provide basic services, and the recent earthquake in Syria made the issue of canceling unfair measures more important and urgent.

Irwani reaffirmed that the illegal presence of foreign military forces, including the US forces, in Syria is a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international laws, and is the main cause of insecurity in it, stressing the need for immediate and complete withdrawal of these illegal forces in order to create an environment conducive to a solution for the crisis and restore peace and stability in the region.

Irwani expressed Iran’s welcome to the improvement of Syria’s diplomatic relations in the region and the world, especially with brotherly Arab countries, to ensure its security, stability and prosperity.

K.Q.