On Thursday, the European Union (EU) announced that it will ease its sanctions against the administration of President Bashar Al-Assad to facilitate the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected by the recent earthquakes in Syria.
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The initiative, which will run for six-months, will exempt humanitarian organizations from requesting prior permission from EU member state authorities to make transfers or provide goods and services for humanitarian purposes to Syria.
"About ten of our member states have already supported humanitarian aid projects for Syria," the EU stated.
In Spain, for instance, Aragon’s Regional Emergency Committee and the Zaragosa municipality agreed to support three humanitarian aid projects for Syria with over US$340,000.
Promoted by the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA), the first project seeks to buy and send essential hygiene kits for Palestine refugees in Syria. The second one, which the NGO for health promotion Farmamundi funded, aims to purchase and dispatch medical supplies to Syria and Turkey.
Another project seeks to provide Syrian children with water and hygiene kits. The Zaragoza City Council will support it with over US$26,000.
The Syrian Transport Ministry reported that at least 200 aircraft from other countries have arrived at the airports of Damascus, Aleppo, and Latakia with humanitarian supplies.
On Tuesday, two aircraft that came from the United Arab Emirates, one from Russia and another one from Uzbekistan, arrived in Syria with food, blankets, clothes, and medicines.
That day, 140 Iraqi trucks also crossed the Albukamal border to bring food and medicine to those affected by the earthquakes in Aleppo and Latakia cities.