Thank you, Mr. President.

International community’s continued attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria is crucial.

The conditions remain especially dire in the northwest where 4.1 million people need critical lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

Increasing number of attacks by the regime in greater Idlib area disrupt essential services.

Therefore, the safe and uninterrupted continuation of the UN cross-border humanitarian assistance as long as needed is a humanitarian imperative.

The non-extension of the Council mandate last July led to significant uncertainty and risks to this critical operation.

Aid shipments had to stop for more than two months.

And this disruption occurred just a few months after the earthquakes which caused further destruction in the region.

Going forward, the Syrian regime and the members of the Security Council have important responsibilities to eliminate the risks.

In this context, we expect the continued use of Bab al Hawa, Bab al Salam and Al-Rai border crossings for UN aid deliveries beyond mid-November and January 2024 time limits.

This is especially critical given the approaching winter months when typically, the humanitarian needs are at their highest.

The international community, especially the UN Security Council, should closely follow the course of this operation and stand ready to step in if needed.

The continued monitoring and reporting of cross-border aid deliveries by the UN in line with existing modalities are also critical to ensure the transparency and oversight of this massive operation.

As with all large-scale humanitarian operations, humanitarian funding is another fundamental requirement for effective cross-border assistance to Syria.

The UN’s Syria Humanitarian Response Plan is funded less than 30 percentage, which is a source of concern.

We reiterate our call for sufficient and sustained funding so that the UN can continue to carry out its humanitarian operations for millions of Syrians in need.

Mr. President,

The developments in the Middle East since the 7th of October have painfully reminded once again that the recurrent cycles of crises, hostilities and violence are inevitable if political solutions are not developed to address the root causes of conflicts.

This reality should always be kept in mind when dealing with the Syrian crisis as well.

The fact is that the root causes of the Syrian conflict are political.

Syrian people have legitimate aspirations, still unmet after 12 years of conflict.

In the absence of national reconciliation, Syria will continue to suffer from the repercussions of the ongoing conflict.

Current escalation in Israeli-Palestinian conflict brings new risks for the wider region and Syria is not immune to those risks.

Special attention is required in the current critical juncture so that this spiral of violence does not drag Syria into further instability.

The formula for ending the Syrian conflict is clear. The international community must ensure simultaneous progress in the following three tracks;

- The revitalization of the political process in line with Security Council Resolution 2254,

- Creating conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees, and

- Disrupting the malign and separatist agenda of the terrorist organizations in order to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and unity.

Mr. President,

We have an international consensus on the significance of implementing the Security Council Resolution 2254.

For this, we have to work together to reactivate the Constitutional Committee as soon as possible.

The Constitutional Committee is the only platform that brings the Syrian opposition and regime together under UN facilitation.

The opposition is a building block in the political process without which there can no national reconciliation. Therefore, the opposition should not be sidelined.

We remain in close contact with Special Envoy Pedersen in his efforts to create momentum in the political track.

Mr. President,

Currently, the biggest threat to the territorial integrity of Syria as well as to the prospects of a united and peaceful future for this country is the terrorist organizations operating on its soil.

Through its activities inside Syria, PKK/PYD and its offshoot - the so-called SDF - constitute the textbook example of a separatist terrorist organization.

It kills and maims civilians, oppresses and terrorizes local populations, abducts and recruits children.

PKK bans school curricula, closes Arabic-teaching schools, arrests teachers and releases DAESH members in exchange for bribes.

Türkiye shares 911 kilometers of land border with Syria.

The presence of PKK/PYD terrorist organization in this country just beyond our borders poses a vital threat to our national security.

This terrorist organization has been using the refuge and support it receives in Syria for attacking Türkiye.

The terrorists who perpetrated the attack in front of the Ministry of Interior in Ankara on 1st of October were trained in Syria and entered Türkiye from Syria.

PKK/YPG also continues to launch terrorist attacks from Tell Rifaat and Manbij region.

Türkiye conducts counter-terrorism operations against PKK/PYD terrorism in exercise of its inherent right to self-defense in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

These operations exclusively target terrorists and terrorist capabilities which are directly linked with the functioning and financing of the terrorist organization.

We are determined not to allow PKK terrorist organization find safe haven along our borders.

Thank you.