Assad: All Regions in Syria, Including Areas Not Controlled by Damascus, Need Aid

The President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, announced the necessity of aid for all regions of Syria, including areas not controlled by Damascus, during a meeting with the UN Secretary-General's Deputy. This was reported by SANA.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake recorded days ago, the northwestern regions of Syria, which are under the control of rebels, have been severely affected. It is nearly impossible to assess the extent of the damage in a country devastated by war, Euronews reports.

Currently, efforts are focused on providing emergency assistance to the victims. According to the UN, 870,000 people in both countries are in urgent need of food aid. In Turkey, government data indicates that nearly one million people are living in tents. In Syria, the UN reports that 5.3 million people have been left homeless. All of this happens while temperatures drop to zero degrees at night.

The World Health Organization has already allocated $16 million from its reserve fund to assist the two countries. Additionally, on Sunday, representatives of the organization appealed to the international community to raise another $43 million.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has made a special call for all countries to put aside politics. In this context, the UN has welcomed the decision by US authorities to ease sanctions against Damascus.

UN aid is arriving in Syria, but is currently only operational through one border crossing. UN Emergency Coordinator Martin Griffiths even took to Twitter to express, "We have disappointed the people of northwest Syria."