India has offered lines of credit worth USD 280 million
to Syria for
building a power plant and
a steel plant in the country.
While addressing the United Nations Security
Council session on Syria's political-humanitarian situation, India's permanent
representative Ruchira Kamboj on Wednesday (local time) said, "India has
offered Lines of Credit worth USD 280 million to Syria for
building a power plant and
a steel plant. A Next-Gen Centre for Information Technology was set up in
Damascus in October 2021. About 1500 scholarships have been provided to Syrian
students to study in India in
diverse streams, including 200 scholarships in the current academic year
itself."
She also said that India has been extending humanitarian,
technical and developmental assistance to Syria through
bilateral and multilateral channels. Consignments of food and medicines have
been supplied to Syria from time to time, including during the pandemic.
During her speech, Kamboj said, "We note with regret that the
conflict in Syria still has no end in sight and the political process is yet to
take off. We continue to stress on Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political
process, in line with UNSC Resolution 2254, with a firm commitment to the
sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab
Republic. A decisive forward movement on the political track in Syria remains
an urgent imperative to alleviate the sufferings of its people."
Notably, Resolution 2254 was adopted in 2015, reaffirming its strong
commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of
the Syrian Arab Republic, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter of
the United Nations,
The revival of the constitutional committee process is crucial to move
forward on the political track. In this regard, UNSC takes note of the efforts
of the Special Envoy, particularly his visit to Damascus earlier this month.
The step-by-step approach advocated by the Special Envoy requires engagement
and response from all sides, and cannot be a one-sided process, she said while
addressing the UNSC.
"In recent weeks, the security situation particularly in northeast
Syria has worsened. Moreover, the activities of terrorist outfits are on the
rise. We have also seen military operations inside Syria carried out by a
neighbour. We express concerns over such unilateral actions violating Syria's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. We believe that the withdrawal of all
foreign forces is essential to achieve a nationwide ceasefire. We note the
recent meeting of the Ceasefire Task Force and hope that the parties will take
steps towards cessation of hostilities," Kamboj said.
India's permanent representative to the UN further said, "The
humanitarian situation continues to remain dire. Secretary-General in his
latest report has projected an increase in the number of people in need of
humanitarian aid, from 14.6 million in 2022 to 15.3 million in 2023. USG Martin
Griffiths has also reiterated the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies.
Women, children and the elderly continue to be impacted severely, and
impediments to humanitarian assistance persist, both in terms of delivery and
augmentation of financial resources. The restrictions on financial services
have also negatively affected the work of humanitarian agencies."
"We have noted the progress in crossline deliveries and early
recovery projects. Our consistent view in this regard has been that
distribution of humanitarian assistance to Syrians, whether by crossline or
cross-border mechanism, should be guided by needs-based assessments and not
political motivations. Humanitarian assistance cannot be a matter of political
expediency," she added..
Terrorism can't be ignored in Syria and the sanctioned terror outfits
like ISIL, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, continue to remain active in the country. UNSC
reiterated the call for caution and due diligence to be exercised while
extending humanitarian assistance to proscribed UN entities and individuals.