Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission has launched a new humanitarian air bridge operation for those most in need in Syria, to deliver emergency healthcare and other essential supplies, as well as increasing its humanitarian funding. According to a statement distributed in Brussels, and through the statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "The collapse of the Assad regime offers new hope for the Syrian people. But this moment of change also carries risks and brings hardships. With the situation on the ground so volatile, our assistance to the Syrian people is more important than ever. That is why we have increased our humanitarian funding for this year, to more than €160 million. We are also launching a humanitarian air bridge carrying vital supplies, such as food, medicine and shelter materials. I will discuss the delivery of humanitarian aid further in my meeting with President Erdogan on Tuesday. We stand with the Syrian people. "
The EU-funded aid flights will carry a total of 50 tons of health supplies from EU stockpiles in Dubai, to be transported to Adana in Turkey for cross-border distribution in the coming days. A further 46 tonnes of health, education and shelter materials will be transported from another EU stockpile in Denmark to Adana and provided to UNICEF and WHO for distribution inside Syria. The Commission has also mobilised an additional €4 million to meet people’s most urgent humanitarian needs, bringing the total humanitarian support to €163 million in 2024.