Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
July 12,July 2022
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) rejects Russia’s influence over the issue of humanitarian aid to Syria by virtue of vetoing any proposed UN Security Council resolution that aims to relieve the Syrian people. The SOC calls on the UN General Assembly to convene a meeting on the issue of humanitarian aid, and to implement Resolution A/76/L.52 which was submitted by Liechtenstein, and allows President of the UN Security Council to convene a formal meeting of the 193‑member organ within 10 working days of the casting of a veto by one or more permanent members of the Council and hold a debate on the situation as to which the veto was cast.
The SOC stresses that extending the mandate for the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid for another six months will not constitute an effective solution that does justice to the Syrian people. The Syrian people will once again find themselves subject to Russian blackmail in the coming winter when the need increases. Therefore, the SOC calls on the United States and the free world to find a new mechanism for bringing aid into Syria away from the backers of the criminal Assad regime and the Russian veto.
Indeed, humanitarian aid is the minimum that the world can provide to the Syrian people as it represents a lifeline for millions of Syrians who are subjected to the crimes of the Assad regime, Russia and Iran on a daily basis and thus live in tragic conditions. Leaving Syrian civilians without access to food, shelter, education, and healthcare will worsen this tragedy.
The SOC stresses the need to exclude Russia from humanitarian issues, whether in Syria or elsewhere, as it exploits these issues to pressure the West and achieve political gains while ignoring humanitarian necessities. Russia is also responsible for hundreds of war crimes and crimes against humanity in both Syria and Ukraine.
