MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Western states needed the transborder mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria as a means of undermining the country’s sovereignty, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday regarding the UN Security Council vote on two draft resolutions on humanitarian aid to Syria.
"Our Western partners voted against our project guided solely by political interest instead of the needs of the Syrian civilian population," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted. "It is obvious that they needed the Syrian transborder mechanism as an instrument of undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and not as a means of aiding those in need."
The ministry noted that for this purpose, "economic sanctions were introduced [against Damascus] banning deliveries of medicine, construction equipment and tools required by 22 million Syrian citizens after 9 years of crisis." "Besides, the West is blocking financing needed for Syria’s humanitarian recovery (construction of houses, schools, hospitals, water and electricity supply facilities), which is required for the support of voluntary, free and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons in accordance with the standards of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees," the statement says. "However, even this wasn’t enough: the US and its allies from the 'anti-IS coalition' are involved in illegal trade of Syrian oil in full view of the international community, maintaining unlawful military presence in the northeast of the country for these purposes."
"Not only are such actions a blatant violation of all norms of international law, humanitarian law and the UN Charter, they demonstrate from open disdain for sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, to politization of strictly humanitarian issues, and profiteering off the needs of civilians while shameless plundering of the country’s natural resources is underway," the ministry stressed.
On December 20, Russia and China vetoed the draft initiated by Germany, Belgium and Kuwait, which was supported by 13 nations. The document envisaged to keep in place three checkpoints on the border with Iraq and Turkey to be used by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian assistance without Damascus’ consent. It also provided for the extension of the cross-border humanitarian assistance mechanism for another year.
In an alternative resolution, Moscow insists that the number of checkpoints used to deliver humanitarian assistance be reduced from four to two. Apart from that, Moscow argues that because the situation "on the ground" is changing dynamically, with Damascus controlling most of the country’s territory, the mechanism should be extended for a term of six months. The resolution was vetoed by the US and its allies.
"The Syrian government directly addressed the UN with the request to cease transborder humanitarian cooperation," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. "The international community must respect this request by the Syrian government as part of the commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity."