Secretary-General Welcomes Decision by Syria’s President to Open Crossing Points

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

I welcome the decision today by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to open the two crossing points of Bab al-Salam and Al Ra’ee from Türkiye to north-west Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid.

As the toll of the 6 February earthquake continues to mount, delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life‑saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency.

Opening these crossing points — along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs — will allow more aid to go in, faster.