Mr. President,

At the outset I wish to thank Special Envoy Pedersen and USG Griffiths for their timely and informative briefings. I also would like to thank Ms. Albarouki for her statement.

After ten years of atrocities, Syria remains the world’s largest protection crisis.

12 million people are living in food insecurity. This fact was brought to our attention on World Food Day, however it must be kept to the fore of our minds every day.

Every day, more than 60% of the population is unable to guarantee access to safe and adequate food.

An additional 1.8 million Syrians teeter on the brink of hunger.

Every day, we talk of the importance of protecting the Syrian people – but we must take action.

Mr. President,

Malnourished children are more exposed to COVID-19 and dying due to virus-related illnesses.

The COVID-19 situation is rapidly deteriorating, especially in the northwest, where a second wave of COVID-19 cases threatens the lives of Syrian civilians.

Latest estimates indicate that hospitals and health care facilities are at 93% occupancy levels and lack the critical supplies required.

Despite calls here at United Nations Headquarters for ‘Vaccines for All’ only 1.8% of the population in the northwest has received one dose of the vaccine. Indeed a mere 0.8% of the population has received the requisite second dose.

It is clear that the Bab al Hawa crossing point and the UN cross-border mechanism constitute an essential and life-saving channel for millions of Syrians. Vaccines and humanitarian assistance are needed now more than ever, as needs are expected to increase during the upcoming winter season.

We therefore call for the cross-border assistance to be expanded.

Türkiye is ready to do whatever necessary to support this vital work. We will also continue to address the needs of more than 9 million Syrians under our protection. Let me remind that our tremendous efforts for the well-being of these people have been widely recognized by the entire international community. We don’t need any lecture from those who do blatantly violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Let me once again set the record straight on Alouk water station: the reasons behind the problem are well-known and reflected in the reports of the Secretary-General. It is clear that both PKK/YPG and the Syrian regime distort the facts and abuse this issue repeatedly for their ill-minded agendas.

Mr. President,

Following the completion of the first cross-line mission into Sarmada/Idlib by WFP, we expect the distribution of food items in the northwest without delay.

The Security Council should be aware that this life-saving mission was conducted in the face of stark security risks, as repeated attacks by the Assad regime in Sarmada continued, resulting in tragic civilian losses.

This is of course part of the regime’s political calculations to hinder progress on cross-line access, which is in direct violation of Security Council Resolution 2585. It is most regrettable that the goodwill displayed in that process has been tainted by the attacks perpetrated by the regime.

Mr. President,

On the political track, we will continue to push for a lasting and credible political solution in line with Security Council Resolution 2254. Special Envoy Pedersen has our unwavering support in his efforts to ensure that the Constitutional Committee yields concrete results.

As the sole mechanism within the political process, we believe that all should unite in order to advance the Committee’s work.

As summarized by the Special Envoy, the sixth round of consultations of the Constitutional Committee was finally held in Geneva last week after a long delay. Although the Syrian regime adopted a relatively constructive approach at the beginning of the session, the subsequent regression to its uncompromising stance of the past was, to say the least, disappointing.

Unfortunately, the sixth round did not feature any serious deliberations on constitutional reform. Furthermore, due to the regime’s intransigence, not even the dates for the following sessions could be agreed upon.

After ten years of conflict, we cannot let the regime squander this opportunity.

It is high time for the Constitutional Committee to produce concrete results on its core mandate. It is imperative that the regime stops undermining the work of the Committee.

This is not a zero sum game. It is in the best interest of all concerned, including the Syrian regime, to engage in a constructive and results-oriented manner.

Mr. President,

Tragically, while the sixth round of consultations of the Constitutional Committee was underway, the regime targeted civilian areas in Ariha district of Idlib on October 20. This brutal attack resulted in the death of 13 people, including four children.

We condemn all attacks, in particular those intended to derail the political process.

Children and teachers were targeted in Ariha. I repeat: children and their teachers.

It is abundantly clear that the regime does not seek to counter terrorism. All the regime has ever sought is to oppress Syrian civilians into submission.

Ceasefire violations by the regime and its backers must stop.

Civilians must be protected.

No one should feel forced to flee their home.

We need to take all necessary steps to secure the political process and underpin conflict resolution efforts.

Mr. President,

In addition to the ceasefire violations, PKK/YPG remains a major destabilizing factor on the ground. This terrorist organization, and its offshoot, the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces”, do not relent in targeting civilians and attacking Türkiye.

Only two weeks ago, six Syrian civilians died as a result of the car bomb attack carried out in Afrin. This terrorist group wreaks havoc in the region and prevents Syrian Ezidis in Iraq, and Syrian Kurds, from returning to their homes in Syria.

Their crimes are not limited to attacks on Syrians. Terrorist attacks carried out by PKK/YPG on 7th and 10th October claimed lives of three members of the Turkish security forces.

Moreover, on October 11th, Karkamış, a district of Gaziantep, was shelled by mortars from areas under the control of “Syrian Democratic Forces”. This attack follows the rockets fired at civilian areas in Kilis, Türkiye last March.

There is no doubt that this terrorist organization is using its presence in Syria to target my country.

No member state can tolerate deliberate attacks targeting its citizens or territory and my country is no exception.

Türkiye will not remain silent in the face of these cross-border attacks. We are determined to neutralize this terrorist threat and will continue our resolute fight against PKK/YPG wherever needed.

Mr. President,

Last month, the UN published the first official death toll since 2014. Therein, the United Nations identified 350,209 individuals killed in Syria.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelet maintained that this is a conservative estimate indicating the minimum verifiable number of deceased.

However, these Syrians were identified by their full name, their date of death and location in Syria.

It is only right that we recognize the unjust and unwarranted deaths of innocent Syrian civilians and dignify them.

The onus is upon us, here in this Council to hold the regime to account.

As we have discussed over the past decade, countless war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by the Assad regime.

The international community failed these Syrians. We cannot fail in our quest for accountability.

We must take urgent action to end impunity; and to save the resilient Syrians who have survived the most egregious horrors and look to us to safeguard their future.

Thank you.