US Envoy To UN, Top Turkish Diplomat Stress Support For Syria's Border Aid Mechanism

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a meeting on Friday discussed their strong support for the expansion of the UN cross-border humanitarian operations in Syria, US Mission to the United Nations spokesperson Olivia Dalton said in a statement

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2021) US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a meeting on Friday discussed their strong support for the expansion of the UN cross-border humanitarian operations in Syria, US Mission to the United Nations spokesperson Olivia Dalton said in a statement.

"Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield met today with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu," Dalton said. "Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu reaffirmed their strong support for maintaining and expanding the UN-authorized border crossings for urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people."

The two diplomats also reiterated the value of the US-Turkey strategic partnership. They discussed shared concerns and areas in which the countries can strengthen cooperation, including in advancing sustainable solutions to regional conflicts, Dalton said.

The UN cross-border aid delivery mechanism, first authorized in 2014, is due to be renewed next month. After the UN Security Council's vote on its extension a year ago, the number of border crossings to bring aid into Syria was reduced to only one from Turkey.

China and Russia, the permanent members of the UN Security Council, voiced their opposition to renewing all four border crossings.

Russia had previously argued that with the transfer of northwestern territories under the control of Damascus and the progress reached in delivering aid from within the country, the council should return to distributing aid from within the Arab Republic.