Syrian regime forces blockade of aid convoys of the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC) directed to the North-West
22.2.2023
Question for written answer E-000582/2023
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Fabio Massimo Castaldo (NI), Stelios Kouloglou (The Left), Miriam Lexmann (PPE), Nathalie Loiseau (Renew), Dino Giarrusso (NI), Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D), Andreas Schieder (S&D), María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew), Jordi Solé (Verts/ALE), Patrizia Toia (S&D), Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew), Tiziana Beghin (NI), Matjaž Nemec (S&D), François Alfonsi (Verts/ALE), Margrete Auken (Verts/ALE), Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Verts/ALE), Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew), Beatrice Covassi (S&D), Sabrina Pignedoli (NI), Maria Angela Danzì (NI), Mario Furore (NI), Laura Ferrara (NI), Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (NI), Antoni Comín i Oliveres (NI), Clara Ponsatí Obiols (NI)
On 11 February 2023, Syrian regime forces blocked a Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC) aid convoy which was heading from North East Syria to Aleppo to reach the areas most affected by the earthquakes. The Damascus regime demanded that the KRC hand over half of the aid as a condition for passing the checkpoint, despite the fact that health workers had made it clear that they also intended to deliver aid to areas controlled by the regime. Regime forces stated that they will require the same condition – handover of half the load – of all local and international NGOs that want to ship aid to the area in question.
Humanitarian needs in the country are massive and on the rise, as 90 % of Syrians now live below the international poverty level, so this exploitation of the aid mobilised to help the Syrian population is unacceptable.
What diplomatic steps is the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy considering taking to push the Damascus regime into allowing the convoy to reach Aleppo and prevent similar incidents from happening again with other NGOs?
Submitted: 22.2.2023