Türkiye calls for extension of cross-border aid deliveries to NW Syria

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - As the UN Security Council's resolution allowing cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid into Syria’s northwest from Türkiye will expire soon, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday urged for its extension.

Emphasizing that the humanitarian aid to Syria needs to be regularly delivered, Cavusoglu in a joint press conference with his Maltese counterpart Ian Borg said the UNSC resolution 2642 is expiring on Jan. 10.

"Humanitarian aid (to Syria) needs to be delivered regularly. For this, the relevant UN Security Council resolution 2642 needs to be extended. Its duration expires on Jan. 10 and it was previously extended for six months. This is especially about aid to be delivered to Syrians across the border through Türkiye," he said.

More than 4 million people in Syria's northwest rely on cross-border humanitarian operations for food aid, essential medicine, and other basic humanitarian goods, according to the UN.

The Turkish foreign minister informed his Maltese counterpart about Türkiye's counter-terrorism efforts against YPG/PKK in Syria and said the situation in Syria mainly causes a humanitarian issue.

Stressing that Türkiye wants to cooperate with Malta on this matter as well as other issues within the scope of the UN Security Council, Cavusoglu said the two countries will closely cooperate on issues related to Libya.

"We will be in close consultation and cooperation on certain projects in Libya, the fight against illegal immigration, and the stability and future of Libya," he noted.

On bilateral ties, Cavusoglu and Borg addressed economic and trade relations, as they agreed to hold a Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting in the early months of next year.

For his part, Borg also hailed his country’s ties with Türkiye and said: "We believe that Türkiye will remain a key partner for the European Union and an important actor in the region."

They also addressed the war in Ukraine, with Borg hailing Türkiye's "influential role" in the implementation of the landmark Black Sea grain initiative.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a landmark agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been paused due to the war that started in February.

Thanks to Turkish efforts, the landmark deal was extended for another 120 days, starting Nov. 19.