EU asks permission to use all border crossings to help Syria

Lenarcic, who is the crisis coordinator for the European Union (EU) crisis response efforts, held a press conference in Gaziantep after the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, the epicenter of which was Kahramanmaraş.

Lenarcic stated that after the disaster of the century, teams from many EU member countries began to arrive in the region at the request of Turkey, saying, “We have 38 medical and rescue teams from the European Union member states and the states that participate in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This corresponds to more than 1,600 search and rescue and medical personnel and more than 100 search and rescue dogs in total.” saying.

Noting that they will continue to provide all kinds of support to help Turkey, Lenarcic recalled that yesterday they decided to give 3 million euros of emergency aid for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey.

Lenarcic stated that the people affected by the earthquake in Syria also need help and they are doing their best to help the Syrians too, but it is not so easy due to the current conditions.

Noting that they received requests for assistance from the Syrian authorities, Lenarcic said they encouraged EU member states and other participating countries to provide help such as search and rescue supplies and medical equipment.

Lenarcic said: “The additional humanitarian allocation since Monday due to the earthquake with the member states of the European Union has now exceeded 50 million euros and I am confident that more will come.” saying.

REACTION TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

Noting that they met with response teams in Gaziantep and humanitarian aid partners in Syria during their visit, Lenarcic said: “The European Union has already been a major donor of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people for more than 10 years. We will continue to support the Syrian people. As the needs increase, we will increase our humanitarian aid.” saying.

On the other hand, Lenarcic also drew attention to the difficulties: “One of these difficulties is that the UN Security Council only allows one border crossing for international humanitarian aid to reach northwest Syria. This has proven to be a major point of contention, a major stumbling block in the current circumstances.” he used the phrase.

Noting that this situation complicates humanitarian aid efforts to reach the Syrian people, Lenarcic said: “If all existing border crossings are allowed to be opened for use by international organizations, it will be much easier to provide our assistance.” saying.

“DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS ALL THE NEEDS AT THE SAME TIME”

Lenarcic affirmed that they will do everything possible to provide assistance to all who need it, adding that they will also activate the “European humanitarian response capacity”.

Noting that they and Turkey did everything, Lenarcic said: “The truth is that this disaster is so big that it is difficult to handle all the needs at the same time.” saying.

– Call to increase border crossings for humanitarian aid to Syria

Noting that the only active border gate in the region was disabled for a while due to road damage from the earthquake, Lenarcic said: “If there were more border gates for international humanitarian organizations, it would be much easier for international humanitarian organizations to humanitarian aid Increase aid in the conditions that occurred after the earthquake. I will ask the UN Security Council once again not only to extend the authorization to use the border crossing, but also to expand the number of these authorized border crossings.” he said.

Responding to the question about what steps they plan to take after returning to Brussels, Lenarcic said that after the search and rescue phase, people will need temporary shelter and they will prioritize it.

Lenarcic pointed out that the next stage will be the stage of “rehabilitation, recovery and restructuring” and emphasized that they will once again play an active role in this stage.

Asked if they are in direct dialogue with the Assad regime, Lenarcic said that they do not have any political dialogue, only operational links.

Lenarcic stressed that when they received a call for help from the Assad regime, EU member states were invited to respond, but not all of them were confident that this aid would be distributed equally to all people in need in Syria.

On the other hand, Lenarcic added that the sanctions against the Assad regime will not prohibit or hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region.