Damascus-controlled areas receive less UN aid than Idlib — Russian defense ministry
Head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Mikhail Mizintsev said that UN humanitarian aid to Syria's Rukban refugee camp ends up in the hands of militants
MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Humanitarian aid supplied by relevant UN agencies to Syria is not equally distributed, and Idlib receives more humanitarian cargoes than the government-controlled territories, head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said at a joint meeting of the Russian and Syrian inter-agency coordination headquarters on refugee resettlement.
In the course of the meeting, Mizintsev addressed the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria. "The areas controlled by the legitimate government are receiving far less humanitarian cargoes than Idlib through trans-border channels," he said.
He also recalled that UN humanitarian aid to Syria's Rukban refugee camp ends up in the hands of militants. "However, the experience of the first and the second humanitarian convoys to the camp organized under the UN auspices showed that no matter how transparently it is organized, as soon as humanitarian mission employees leave the camp, militants are the ones who take advantage of the aid," he noted.
Therefore, UN humanitarian aid for ordinary Syrians is used to provide supplies for members of illegal armed groups. "In this regard, we believe that the issue should be resolved in a radical manner, the sole way to the quickest rescue of the Rukban dwellers lies in final dismantling of the camp," Mizintsev stressed.
He added that Russia and Syria are unreservedly support the activities of the UN humanitarian agency, which are meant to alleviate the struggles of ordinary Syrians who were affected by the war on terrorism.