MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Russia and the United States have different ideas about humanitarian aid for citizens of the Syrian city of Aleppo, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Sunday as he commented the statement of the US Department of State’s spokesperson John Kirby that the humanitarian pauses organized by Russia in Aleppo are useless. According to Konashenkov, for the Russian side humanitarian aid means the delivery of food and medications while for the US side - convoys going to the eastern part of the city only without being checked.
"Such statements once again demonstrate how differently the State Department and we understand "the use" of humanitarian pauses… Over the past months only, we have delivered more than 100 tonnes of most important aid - foods, medications and essentials. This was delivered to all citizens of Aleppo, not limited to its western or eastern part. Meanwhile, the State Department has not delivered a mite to Syrians it is allegedly so much caring for," Konashenkov said.
‘Useful’, as the State Department understands it, aid, as we’ve seen means convoys bound to the eastern part of Aleppo only, without the right of search and control, with a heavy-gauge mortar escort," he said. "Put that way, the latest humanitarian pause is really ‘useless’ for the militants that the US Department of State’s spokesperson Kirby is talking about," he added.
According to Konashenkov, Russia’s military forces have never received any information about any terrorist organization in Syria from the United States. "During this period of time the United States has not even met the obligations it assumed under the agreements between Russia and US. Russia has never received either maps, or positions, or any other information about any terrorist organization in Syria: from the Islamic State to Al-Nusra (terrorist groups banned in Russia)," he said.
"Meanwhile I would like to draw the attention to the fact that when journalists report shelling of residential areas - this, the State Department says, is ‘Al-Nusra’, whereas when the Syrian forces have to react in the direction of the regions, which launch fire, the State Department calls it the attacks on the ‘opposition’," spokesman said.
On November 4, a ten-hour humanitarian pause was in force in Aleppo. Konashenkov said earlier that the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces and Syrian Air Force have not delivered any airstrikes at Aleppo over the last 19 days, despite shelling and continuing provocations by militants.