Syria agrees to extend delivery of humanitarian aid through Turkey for six months

The Syrian government has approved the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas controlled by opposition groups in the northwest of the country through a border crossing with Turkey for another six months.

The United Nations has been using the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey to deliver aid to millions of people in northwest Syria since 2014 under the authorization of the United Nations Security Council.

The entry of aid through Bab al-Hawa was halted in the middle of last year after a committee of 15 members failed to extend the agreement. The Syrian government later allowed the United Nations to continue using the crossing for an additional six months.

In a diplomatic memo dated Thursday, reviewed by Reuters, the Syrian mission to the United Nations stated that Damascus "will extend the permission granted to the United Nations to use the Bab al-Hawa crossing to deliver humanitarian aid to northwest Syria for an additional six months until July 13, 2024."

Damascus has also allowed the United Nations to send aid through two other border crossings between Syria and Turkey after an earthquake resulted in the deaths of over 50,000 people in both countries last year.

This authorization is set to expire on February 13.

Turkey seeks to renew both authorizations, as the levels of attention and funding have affected the volume of aid.

Millions of people in northwest Syria, under the control of opposition groups, rely on aid arriving through Turkey to secure food, medicine, and other essential needs. After nearly 13 years of conflict, many in the country are facing the worst economic conditions, with nine out of every ten Syrians living below the poverty line.

Reuters