Kazakh delegation takes part in UNSC meeting on situation in Syria
Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs who briefed the meeting, expressed concern over the armed clashes and air strikes in Afrin, Idlib, and Hama, noting that they led to the deaths and injuries of a large number of people, as well as the destruction of infrastructure.
He said that attacks on critical civilian infrastructure like medical facilities continue to be reported with at least 28 reported attacks on health facilities since mid-February and more than 70 verified incidents since the beginning of this year.
According to him, at least 78 people were killed in Damascus, and 230 more were injured by shells launched from Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks.
During the meeting, representatives of several countries expressed hope that the guarantors of the Astana process will be able to achieve progress in fulfilling the commitments reflected in the statement of March 16, prior to the forthcoming summit in Istanbul on April 4.
In his speech, head of the Kazakh delegation, ambassador Kairat Umarov, reaffirmed the country's commitment to the preservation of the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the implementation of the provisions of all UN Security Council resolutions aimed at addressing humanitarian issues in the country. Kazakhstan, like other members of the Council, spoke in favor of providing humanitarian access, including cross-border assistance to millions of people in need in the SAR.
Kairat Umarov stressed that the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 2401 on a nationwide ceasefire in Syria for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid is a collective responsibility of all the members of the Council.
The Kazakh delegation noted that the negotiations within the framework of the Astana process, scheduled for mid-May will focus on ensuring compliance with the relevant agreements reached on the basis of the Astana initiative.
Kazakhstan's Permanent Representative to the UN urged the Syrian government to facilitate the access of humanitarian aid to the refugee camps by opening humanitarian corridors to the besieged areas and stressed that civilians should be allowed to safely leave the war zone, and their protection and respect for the international humanitarian law should become the top priorities.