Erdogan urges Putin to keep Syria aid crossing open

Russia final week vetoed a United Nations proposal to maintain the Bab al-Hawa crossing open to get humanitarian assist to Syrian civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin [File: Pavel Golovkin/Pool via Reuters]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to prolong the authorisation for cross-border deliveries of humanitarian assist into Syria.

His attraction on Monday got here as diplomats scrambled to discover a answer that would overcome a Russian veto to a system that has stored assist flowing into the war-ravaged nation since 2014.

“Erdogan emphasised that he attaches significance to the extension of the cross-border mechanism in Syria,” his workplace mentioned in an announcement issued after phone talks following the expiry Sunday of the mechanism.

The Turkish-Syria border on the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the one manner United Nations help can attain civilians with out navigating areas managed by Syrian authorities forces.

Russia, an ally of the Syrian authorities, used its veto energy on the UN Safety Council to strike down Western proposals to maintain the border crossing open for one more 12 months.

The standoff got here with diplomatic tensions at historic highs since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Safety Council has beforehand prolonged the cross-border mechanism after it had expired and several other sources mentioned a vote was nonetheless potential this week.

Erdogan has tried to leverage his good working relations with each Putin and Western-backed leaders in Kyiv to calm tensions.

Grain shipments

On the decision on Monday, Erdogan additionally urged the Russian president to take motion relating to the UN’s plan to determine protected corridors within the Black Sea for grain exports.

The Turkish chief reiterated that the continued conflict between Russia and Ukraine must be ended with an enduring and simply peace by way of negotiations.

The UN has submitted a plan to facilitate exports that might see protected corridors arrange round identified mines.

The proposal has gained solely restricted help in each Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from the nation and promoting it, whereas Russia has denied the claims.

The allegations come amid fears of a world meals disaster over Ukraine’s lack of ability to export hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain by way of its blockaded ports.

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