UN secretary-general welcomes resumption of humanitarian aid through Syrian border

By Iclal Turan

NEW YORK (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the resumption of humanitarian aid through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into northwest Syria on Tuesday after a two-and-a-half-month hiatus.

“Though our humanitarian operations have continued to assist millions of people in need in northwest Syria, the Bab al-Hawa crossing has long been central to the UN’s efforts to deliver aid in the northwest,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said in a statement.

"With more people than ever requiring humanitarian aid in Syria, the Secretary-General underscores the need for ever greater efforts to be made to ensure we reach all those who need it," the statement added.

The UN delivered humanitarian aid Tuesday to Idlib in northwestern Syria, marking the end of a two-and-a-half-month hiatus.

Seventeen truckloads of aid crossed into Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Türkiye's southern Hatay province.

The aid, including food, health and hygiene supplies, will be distributed among residents in central Idlib and rural areas.

No aid had been sent to northwestern Syria following the expiration of the UN's cross-border aid mechanism's mandate on July 10.

In September 2018, Türkiye and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are prohibited.