A Turkish official stated today that Turkiye
is debating reopening a border crossing into Syrian government territory,
allowing earthquake relief to be given directly to regions under President
Bashar Al-control Assad after a decade of hostility.
Another passage into the Idlib province of
Syria, which is controlled by the opposition, is also being considered, the
official said.
After Al-Assad used force to quell an uprising
against his authority in 2011, which turned into a civil war and forced
millions of Syrians to flee their country, Turkiye and Syria severed diplomatic
ties.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered Turkish
troops into northern Syria in support of the opposition's campaign to remove
Al-Assad. However, he has suggested that the two leaders could meet after
almost 12 years of hostilities, and their defence ministers conducted
discussions in December.
The Syrian government-controlled portion of
the Mediterranean province of Latakia may be accessed via a border crossing
from Turkiye's Hatay province, according to a Turkish official.
The two provinces on each side of the border
were both severely affected by the large earthquake that struck on Monday and
left 21,000 people dead across the two nations.
"The border gate between Yayladagi and
Kasab will initially be opened. Aid sent from there can go directly to regions
controlled by the Syrian government "added the official.
A further border may be opened to facilitate
the delivery of supplies into the Idlib region of Syria, which is controlled by
the opposition, according to the official, who had knowledge of the situation
and spoke on the record.
According to the official, "discussions
and planning continue to create another gate that will enable transporting
relief to Idlib and allowing United Nations supplies to reach areas utterly
crushed by the quake."
The sole open border crossing between Turkiye
and the northwest of Syria controlled by the opposition is at Bab Al-Hawa.
After the earthquake on Monday, it momentarily closed, but it opened again yesterday.
For the four million people who, according to
the UN, relied on humanitarian aid before the earthquake and whose needs have
only increased since it struck on Monday, entry through Bab Al-Hawa is a
"lifeline."
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