UAE Aid Coordination Office opens in Syria

Damascus, (ST) – The UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs Sultan Al Shamsi inaugurated the UAE Aid Coordination Office in Syria in the presence of Representative of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Minister Counselor Muhammadiyah Al Naasan.

SANA’s correspondent reported that the office, which was opened at the UAE Embassy building in Damascus, is the first in a series of offices that the UAE plans to open in several countries as to mobilize and coordinate the efforts of charitable organizations and institutions under one umbrella.

The Chargé d’ Affaires of the UAE Embassy Abdul Hakeem Al-Nuaimi said at the opening ceremony that the office in Syria aims at coordinating humanitarian and development aid to help the Syrian people and at boosting the role of the UAE as a major international donor.

Al-Nuaimi affirmed his country’s keenness to provide aid to all those who need it in any part of the world, pointing out that the UAE has adopted humanitarian aid as one of the basic principles of its policy during the next 50 years as part of its moral obligations towards peoples of the world.

“The Gallant Knight 2″ Operation, which was launched under the directives of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, to support those affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Syria last February, ended a few days ago,”Al-Nuaimi said, noting that the end of this initiative does not mean the cessation of aid. as with the opening of this office, a new, more comprehensive and deeper phase begins, whose title is standing by the brotherly Syrian people in all provinces with the aim of alleviating their suffering.

For his part, Al-Naasan appreciated the UAE for standing by Syria and its people in the difficult ordeal, especially after the catastrophe of the devastating earthquake, expressing the Foreign Ministry’s readiness to provide the necessary support and facilities for the work of this office to achieve its goal.

Sonia Afisa, Director of Planning and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment, Secretary of the Higher Committee for Relief, said that the opening of the coordination office is a very important step to enhance and continue this assistance.

She stressed the Ministry’s readiness to provide all facilities and assistance for the success of the office’s tasks.

Raghda Sawas