SyriaUN, Jan 26The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN calls on the United States to fulfill its obligations regarding the operation of the mechanism for the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, the Russian mission said in a commentary. The Permanent Mission's comment was published in response to a press release from the US Permanent Mission to the UN dated January 20, in which the American side presented the so-called «list of facts» about the «restoration of American leadership in the UN in the first year of Joe Biden's presidency.» The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation notes that the Security Council resolution The UN implies the fulfillment of a number of obligations, primarily on the part of the United States. «Russia kept its word by agreeing to extend the work of the cross-border mechanism for another 6 months. But the American side has shown itself unconvincingly over the past six months. The remaining six months are an excellent opportunity to rectify the situation» The regime for simplified delivery of humanitarian and medical supplies to Syria from neighboring states (primarily across the border with Turkey) through the front lines and border crossings has been in effect since July 2014. This arrangement has been renewed annually. Under this mechanism, UN humanitarian agencies and their partners were initially entitled to use routes through the lines of confrontation and four border checkpoints — «Bab es-Salam» and «Bab al-Hawa» on the border of Syria and Turkey, «Al-Yarubiya» on the border with Iraq and «Al-Ramta» on the border with Jordan. As the Syrian army began to establish control over more and more territory, Damascus and Moscow began to advocate for the gradual curtailment of the work of border crossings. On July 10, 2021, the only remaining border crossing on the Syrian border («Bab al-Hawa») expired. Nevertheless, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution of the Russian Federation, the United States, Ireland and Norway to extend the operation of this checkpoint for six months, with the possibility of a further extension for another six months. The six-month period expired in January 2022, the work of Bab el-Hawa was extended for another six months. The condition for the transition to take effect is, among other things, to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid across the lines of contact.
