Syrian Government Agrees to Send Aid to Seven Besieged Areas

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on Tuesday, February 15, that the Syrian government has agreed to send humanitarian aid to seven besieged areas, including Moadamiyeh al-Sham near Damascus. According to Reuters, Stefan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Damascus on Tuesday and was able to secure Damascus's agreement to send humanitarian aid to the besieged areas. Stefan de Mistura stated that tomorrow the UN will test the Syrian government's commitment to its promise in this regard. After the meeting, he told reporters that his negotiations with the Syrian Foreign Minister specifically focused on sending humanitarian aid to besieged areas without any obstacles. The UN Special Envoy for Syria mentioned that he has negotiated with all parties involved in the five-year civil war regarding access and the delivery of humanitarian aid to all besieged areas across Syria. Stefan de Mistura said, 'It is clear that it is the responsibility of the Syrian government to provide access to Syrian citizens throughout the country and to allow the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to them.' In a statement, the UN Special Envoy for Syria noted, 'Tomorrow we will test this.' In this context, Vanessa Huguenin, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told Reuters that they have been informed that the Syrian government has issued access permits to seven besieged areas. She added that humanitarian agencies are currently preparing aid convoys, and these aids will be sent in the coming days. Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the UN, also stated that these seven areas include Deir ez-Zor, al-Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province, Madaya, Zabadani, Kafr Batna, and Moadamiyeh al-Sham. The UN spokesperson also reported that necessary preparations are being made by aid agencies to send medical and food assistance to the besieged areas in Syria as quickly as possible. Seventeen countries in the International Support Group for Syria reached an agreement last Friday in Munich on a plan to establish a ceasefire and send humanitarian aid to cities and besieged areas in Syria. This comes despite the agreement on establishing a ceasefire and sending humanitarian aid to besieged areas, as in recent days, Syrian government forces, with Russian air support, have launched operations around Aleppo against opposition groups to Bashar al-Assad's government.