Russia opposes veto of aid to northwest Syria for one year
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Hashim Sheikh
- . July 22, 2022
- . Update: July 23, 2022 12:10 pm
Russia– Russia defended its decision to veto a UN resolution that would have allowed Turkey to continue delivering humanitarian aid to 4.1 million Syrians in the rebel-held northwest for a year, saying that only a six-month extension was necessary. Russia also accused Western countries of using “sly” tactics and attempting to “govern the world.”
For the first time since the 193-member global body adopted a resolution on April 26 requiring any Security Council member that casts a veto to provide an explanation during an assembly debate on the matter, Russia’s deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky had to defend Moscow’s veto of a resolution before the General Assembly on July 8.
In order to monitor the fulfillment of Russia’s objectives, Polyansky urged that a resolution should only last for six months before needing to be renewed for another six months. He listed them as increasing aid supplies within Syria across lines of conflict, expanding early recovery programs there, improving aid operations’ transparency, and preventing “foreign terrorists” from getting aid.
He charged that Western backers of a one-year extension had failed to advance schemes for early recovery and cross-line aid distribution. According to him, this year’s resolution to continue aid shipments from Turkey for another year included these requests.
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In response, Russia was accused of abusing its veto power on a resolution about Syria for the 17th time, this time on a measure meant to facilitate humanitarian aid for millions of people suffering as a result of 11 years of war, according to US deputy ambassador Richard Mills.
On July 11, the Security Council approved a six-month extension to prevent the suspension of aid deliveries through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing point in Turkey, but Mills emphasized the consequences: A second resolution will be required in January when the humanitarian needs, which are now greater than they have ever been, “will be greatest.”
If the resolution confirming the second six-month extension is not passed, he said, “that timeframe risks leaving Syrians without blankets, without heating fuel, and denying them of a consistent supply of basic food items throughout the coldest of months.”
“Firewall any further politicization of what is a genuinely humanitarian situation,” Mills pleaded with the international community.
The final rebel-held area in Syria is located in northwest Idlib, where Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham is the most powerful jihadist organization. The Syrian crisis, which began in 2011, has claimed more than 300,000 civilian lives in its first 10 years, according to a recent UN report. This is the largest official estimate of civilian casualties.
In order to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government, Polyansky charged that Western nations “supported foreign terrorists that they trained and equipped.” He stated that the “Russian Federation once again preserved the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria” by using its veto.
In the assembly room, he addressed the ambassadors who were there on behalf of their nations, asking them, “Who will protect you if you allow yourselves to be drawn into other games? Who will protect you from becoming yet another Ukraine, which was used as a pawn in a geopolitical chess match between the West and the Russian Federation and lost its inhabitants to serve the objectives of the US and its NATO allies?
Thibault Camelli, a counselor for the European Union, emphasized to the audience that humanitarian efforts in Syria “must not be hindered, targeted, or politicized,” noting that the EU and its member states are the largest donors of aid to the nation.
“Humanitarian needs in Syria have grown and are expected to keep growing, particularly in light of the food crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the expert predicted. “Today, nearly 12 million Syrians face food insecurity and depend on charity from abroad to survive, “added he.
