I thank the Secretary General for his remarks and Acting Under-Secretary Rajasingham for the very detailed overview on the humanitarian situation in Syria. We also appreciate the insightful comments of Ms. Ibrahim,.
I extend my gratitude to humanitarian workers on the frontlines, who continue to provide aid to millions of people. Your work continues under dangerous circumstances. Estonia condemns the attack on Al-Shifra hospital in the beginning of the month, which killed 19 civilians, including two hospital workers.
Despite some calm, the war is far from over in Syria. Latest report of the Secretary-General points out that in April and May there were 186 different security incidents. At least 150 people were killed, among them 36 children.
Serious challenges, such as violent clashes and Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated the humanitarian situation. In this light, the Security Council must uphold its responsibilities and support the Syrian people, especially the most vulnerable groups. Safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access remains vital. To address the enormous humanitarian needs, extending and expanding cross-border aid deliveries in July is the only responsible approach.
Estonia calls to reauthorize Bab Al-Hawa crossing for one year, and to reopen the crossings of Bab Al-Salam in Idlib and Al-Yaroubiyah in the Northeast for the same period. We give our support to the penholders Ireland and Norway to have an early renewal of the mandate.
Sustainable humanitarian response must be predicated on enabling access to all parts of Syria. We need to ensure the availability of Covid-19 vaccines to everyone in Syria.
At the same time, we acknowledge the importance of cross-line aid. However, these deliveries remain sporadic and limited. As violence continues in the Northwest of Syria; no reliable agreement has been reached between humanitarian organizations and parties on the ground for bringing much needed help to Idlib over the frontlines. Humanitarian access to the Northeast remains also limited. I do not believe, like we heard right now, that everyone is wrong, that Secretary-General is wrong, OCHA is wrong, aid organisations are wrong and other members states are wrong and so on.
The European Union, together with its Member States, is the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Syria and the region. EU restrictive measures do not impede in any way the provision of humanitarian assistance in Syria, especially food and medical supplies.
These sanctions target only those, who have committed crimes against Syrian people. Sanctions will remain in place, until a genuine political transition is firmly underway in Syria, in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions.