Crossing points were opened to deliver aid after the devastating earthquake in February.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had agreed to open Bab al-Salama and al-Rai crossings for a period of three months to allow aid to flow into Idlib governorate, a week after the February 6 earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria.
The earthquake killed more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations. The earthquake also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
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p class=””> In this context, Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that after a request from the United Nations organization and the discussions that followed, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal Al-Miqdad, conveyed to UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths the Syrian government’s decision to allow the international organization to continue using the two crossings for a while, three more months.
Syria’s representative to the United Nations, Bassam al-Sabbagh, said in a tweet that the period had been extended for another three months based on Syria’s insistence on promoting “stability and improving conditions of life and humanitarian aid” for all Syrians.
The Associated Press quoted al-Sabbagh as saying the move was also aimed at facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need across Syria.
Additionally, David Cardin, the UN deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis, said during a visit to Idlib earlier this month that since the earthquake some 2,000 trucks have crossed the border from Turkey. , providing assistance such as shelter, food, medical supplies. and other services.
Cardin added that the earthquake damaged or destroyed the homes of around 855,000 people.
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