Prague, Jan 13 (CTK) – The Czech embassy in Damascus may become the exclusive distributor of EU humanitarian aid to Syrians based on a request made by EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini during her visit to Prague on Monday, a diplomatic source has told CTK.
The source confirmed the information carried by Newsweek Cesko.
Zaoralek wrote on Twitter tonight that he considers Mogherini´s interest in the Czechs’ involvement in mediating aid in Syria as a great appreciation of Czech diplomacy in the region.
The Czech Foreign Ministry told CTK that the Czech embassy was authorised to map the possibilities of providing humanitarian aid on the territory of Syria.
The Czech Republic is the sole EU country that did not close its embassy in Damascus after the civil war erupted in Syria four years ago.
“The embassy in Damascus has been assigned to probe into the possibilities of providing humanitarian aid within Syria even in the most threatened places,” Irena Valentova, from the ministry´s press department, told CTK.
She said the process is only starting and that it is not entirely clear whether the Czech mission would be the sole distributor of EU aid.
No other EU country has its embassy in Syria. The Czech mission also represents U.S. diplomacy and ambassador Eva Filipi is a recognised expert in the Syria situation.
Czech State Secretary for the EU Tomas Prouza said the assigning of the embassy amounts to appreciation of Czech activities in Syria.
“It pays to be active and to make use of what we are able to do,” he wrote on Twitter.
According to the U.N. current news, there are places in Syria where people are dying of starvation and urgently need medical aid. The situation in Madaya, which has been besieged by the Syrian military for half a year, is critical. People suffer from hunger in other places, too.
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