On Sunday, the United States called on the United Nations Security Council for an "immediate vote" to allow the sending of international aid to northwest Syria, controlled by armed opposition, through additional border crossings from Turkey following last week's earthquake.
Since 2014, the United Nations has been able to send aid to millions of people in the northwestern part of Syria via Turkey under a Security Council mandate, but it is currently limited to the use of only one border crossing. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated in a Reuters statement: “Every hour matters right now. The people in the affected areas depend on us.” She added, “We cannot let them down... We must vote immediately on a resolution that responds to the United Nations' call to allow the use of additional border crossings for delivering humanitarian aid... It is time to act with urgency and purpose.”
On Saturday, Martin Griffiths, the UN Relief Coordinator, currently in Turkey and scheduled to visit Syria, told Sky News that he would ask the Security Council to allow aid access through two more border crossings, stating that there is "a very clear humanitarian situation." UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Thursday to facilitate aid access for those affected.
