Madame President,

The Security Council is meeting for the fourth time this month to address the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Meanwhile, 4.1 million Syrians, who depend on UN cross-border aid to survive, continue their weeks-long wait to see if this life-saving aid will or will not continue to flow.

As an immediate neighbor to Syria and the UN’s main partner on cross-border assistance, we would like to emphasize once again that under the current circumstance, the Security Council mandated cross-border humanitarian mechanism is the most viable, transparent and predictable method of aid delivery to northwest Syria.

We therefore regret that this mandate expired two weeks ago, and the Security Council has not yet been able to agree on its renewal.

Further increasing our concern, this development is happening at a time when the humanitarian needs, which are exacerbated due to the earthquakes, are now at their highest level since the start of the conflict in Syria.

Today, the cross-border mechanism is more essential than ever to effectively address the humanitarian situation in the country and also to maintain the critically important regional stability.

We share the concerns expresssed by the United Nations regarding the conditional and time-limited permission by the Syrian regime for the use of Bab al Hawa border crossing.

We underline that the absence of a Council mandated cross-border mechanism will create an void in the predictability, accountability and effectiveness of aid deliveries.

The lack of predictability – which defines the situation today – would make it harder to secure funding for humanitarian activities in Syria.

Predictability is also key for planning and execution stages of humanitarian action, without which, for instance, early recovery and resilience projects would also be jeopardized.

The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria is at its highest.

This is not the time to risk the access of millions of Syrians to uninterrupted and predictable humanitarian assistance in a safe, transparent and accountable manner.

We therefore renew our call on the Security Council members to engage in further efforts to reach a practical and realistic consensus that would ensure the continuation of the UN cross border aid mechanism.

Madam President,

The deeply worrying humanitarian situation in Syria constantly reminds us the increasingly heavy toll of the ongoing conflict on the Syrian people.

The efforts towards the political settlement of the conflict urgently need to be stepped up.

The international community, especially the countries with influence should act now and urge the regime to take concrete steps in the political process.

A lasting solution to the Syrian conflict will only be possible with the participation of all Syrian parties in the political track.

Therefore, it is essential that the Syrian opposition be included in efforts towards a political solution to the conflict.

The Constitutional Committee, as the most effective platform that bring together the Syrian opposition and the regime, should continue its work in a way that will produce tangible results.

The revitalization of the political process is also among the objectives of our engagement.

Similarly, we expect our friends in the region to also keep in mind the importance of the political process in resolving the Syrian conflict in their engaments with the regime and to provide encouragement in this direction.

Madam President,

The terrorism emanating from Syria is a major threat that requires urgent solution.

Türkiye is one of the countries that make the most effort in the fight against DAESH and was effective in ending its territorial control in Syria.

Türkiye also continues its fight against the PKK/YPG terrorist organization with the same determination.

PKK/YPG terrorist organization conducted more than 70 attacks on our borders, especially from Tel Rifat, since the beginning of this year alone.

Like any country whose borders and citizens are attacked, Türkiye will not remain silent and reserves its inherent right to self-defense.

Before concluding, I would also like to draw attention to the ongoing ceasefire violations in Idlib, where an escalation, coupled with current difficult humanitarian circumstances may expose a new risk of mass migration, which must be avoided. Therefore, we would like to emphasize the importance of the maintenance of ceasefire in Idlib.

Thank you.