Moscow calls on all sides in Syrian conflict to help deliver aid to besieged cities

Russia is making all efforts, including at talks with Damascus, to help civilians trapped in besieged Syrian cities, TASS cited the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying on Friday.

"Moscow is concerned with the persistently difficult humanitarian situation in several cities of the Syrian Arab Republic as a result of the continuing internal armed conflict in the country. Especially worrisome are conditions in besieged Madaya, Fua and Kafraya," the foreign ministry said.

"On our part, we continue to make active efforts, including during our contacts with the official Syrian authorities, in the interests of improving the living conditions for civilians," the ministry said, adding: "We urge them to constructively cooperate with UN humanitarian structures which will allow to secure humanitarian access to aforementioned and other settlements that found themselves in a difficult situation," the foreign ministry continued.

"These efforts had significant results which, in particular, were confirmed by employees of UN humanitarian agencies in Syria as they observed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Madaya," the ministry said.

"It is necessary that all sides in the Syrian conflict, as well as all countries that have influence [on the situation in Syria], make maximum efforts to promote the delivery of humanitarian aid, first of all, to settlements besieged and blocked by militants of terrorist groups Jebhat al Nusra, Ahrar al Sham and Jeysh al Islam," the foreign ministry stressed.

"Noting the importance of resolving all humanitarian problems that peaceful Syrian residents face, we stress the necessity to urgently launch an intra-Syrian negotiations process, without any preconditions, on the basis of the Geneva communique from 30 June 2012, agreements reached in the framework of International Syria Support Group on 30 October and 14 November 2015, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2254 from 18 December 2015," the foreign ministry concluded.

Source: MENA