Abu Duhur humanitarian corridor in Idlib province. File photoMOSCOW, May 29.Western diplomats fear that Russia could use the UN Security Council vote on the only Bab al-Hawa corridor in Syria to force concessions on the situation around Ukraine, writes the American newspaper New York Times. The UN Security Council will vote in July on whether the only humanitarian corridor at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey to the Syrian province of Idlib will remain open. Closing the corridor could force thousands of people to flee Syria, exacerbating the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East, experts say. >Ukraine failed to meet any conditions on humanitarian corridors, Defense Ministry saysThree unnamed foreign diplomats said Russia allegedly «sent vague signals» that it might try to use the vote to «get concessions in the confrontation around Ukraine», in particular, in matters of bypassing anti-Russian sanctions. At the same time, they did not specify what these “signals” were, noting that Moscow did not directly link the issue of the fate of the humanitarian corridor with the situation in Ukraine. Diplomats, according to the newspaper, believe that Russia will count on help in circumventing sanctions from those countries who will be directly affected by a new wave of refugees if the corridor is closed. According to the newspaper, one senior American diplomat said that the United States and other countries in the UN Security Council intend to send a «clear signal» to Moscow urging Moscow not to close the crossing, however, in his opinion, » there are no guarantees» that this call will be heeded. In July 2021, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the cross-border mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria. This decision provides for the continuation of the operation of the only border crossing «Bab al-Hawa» from Turkey to Idlib for 6 months with an increase in the period for another six months, depending on the special report of the UN Secretary General on ensuring the transparency of humanitarian operations and expanding access from the interior of Syria.
Lavrov spoke about Russia's military tasks in Syria
