Turkey crossing 'best for aid to Syria,' says US envoy 

The US ambassador to the UN has said that Turkey’s Cilvegozu border crossing is the “best” option for international NGOs to get aid into Syria, TRT World has reported.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to journalists on Thursday following her visit to the World Food Programme distribution centre in the Reyhanli district of Turkey’s southern Hatay province. The American diplomat said that more than 13 million Syrians are still in need of humanitarian assistance due to the conflict in their country.

“I am proud to announce that the US is providing $200 million of additional humanitarian funding to the people of Syria,” she added, while highlighting that humanitarian aid, Covid-19 vaccine and medical aid are all needed to ease their suffering.

Last month, the US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, also expressed appreciation of Turkey’s continued support for the refugees.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed, with millions more displaced.

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