The UK Government has sent aid to the Turkey-Syria border, which it says will provide much-needed relief and protection for Syrians amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib.
“An RAF C-17 carrying 37 tonnes of UK aid landed in Hatay, Turkey, yesterday afternoon. The supplies on board include tents to provide life-saving shelter, hygiene kits, blankets, water purification tablets, cooking equipment and lanterns for around 300 families who have been forced to flee their homes and seek safety in harsh conditions.
This comes as schools, nurseries and hospitals are targeted by Syrian regime bombing. The aid flight is in addition to £89 million of UK aid for Syria – announced last week – to help protect victims of violence, which included tents, thermal blankets, clothing, food, clean water and medical supplies, among other measures.”
The aid supplies are being distributed in the worst affected areas including Idlib in north west Syria, with the cooperation of the Turkish Red Crescent.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“The people of Idlib have suffered enormously during this conflict and these crucial supplies delivered by our military will provide shelter for hundreds of families in desperate need. We stand in solidarity with Turkey after the losses they have suffered, and the UK will do what we can to offer support. For the sake of both nations, the wider region and security across the entire globe, the ceasefire in Idlib must continue to be respected.”
International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
“It is a tragedy that almost a million people – mostly women and children – have been forced to flee their homes in the past 100 days as the ruthless Assad regime and its Russian backers relentlessly bombed their homes and killed their families. Too many innocent people are struggling to survive in freezing conditions without a roof over their head. Through UK aid, delivered by our world-class troops, the British people are helping to save lives, boost regional security and stop the cruel suffering of defenceless Syrians in this warzone.”
The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syria crisis, providing more than £3.1 billion to trusted partners in Syria and the region since 2011.
Nice to see that, whilst undergoing a crisis of our own, we can still help out those that are much less fortunate. Armed forces should be a force for good in the world!
Any chance Boris of sending helping to the Greeks on the border? Like the Austrian, Dutch, Italians, and Poles have done? No? Though not.
Suggesting it’s because of his Turkish ancestry ?
I think the whole Westminster establishment has a blind spot.
£3.1 billion is an enormous amount for the UK to send.
Any chance of the EU sending help to the Greeks on the border? No? Thought not…
The EU is Germany, and Germany doesn’t want to upset its Turkish community. The majority of the latter who are on benefits (which is sometimes code for working in their own black parallel economy).
Why don’t you find a new scapegoat? We are out the EU, get over it. You won, get over it. Why not add a constructive comment? Such as this is great. Great to give back to people who been displaced by the West’s actions.
? they are bitter. They will never let go
Who the remainers? Yep they will be bitter to the, cough, bitter end. I actually spoke to a remainer student who blamed BJ and BREXIT for the current coronavirus…….fuck me!
So they are all displaced due to the wests actions? Really? You actually ever spent time in the region? Spoke to the real people there who are there? You may find it’s never as cut and dry, and as simple as the headlines you read.
Well said Airborne, Utrinque Paratus.
No Tom, they didn’t win….we all lost!
I’m sure the Greeks can manage just fine after all they are paid up members of that wonderfully amazing institution of rainbows sunshine wealth and happiness the EU. We piss enough billions of tax payers money up against the wall in foreign aid as it is.
And when some of the ‘refugees’ end up in a boat in the Channel what then?
They aren’t refugees if they are in the Chanel they are economic migrants . We scoop them up and send them back
Send them back to France, we aren’t a huge country, to increase By 5 million in population in a couple decades is too much.
They are then mostly economic migrants mate, and that’s a statistic and a fact.
Why? Isn’t Greece a first world nation? Isn’t Greece quite happy and content being part of the lovely EU? Let the EU help there own wonderful club members! Can’t Greece police a dcafforr to police its own borders?
Wow.
Yep Greece has a large navy for starters.
I would have thought that, Help to our own people, such as those who have had their lives torn apart by the floods all over the U.K. would have been more appreciative. Giving aid, to Africa that has already had countless Billions spent on it is just sheer waste.
Once Aid stops, they might, just might wake up and realise that they have to sort their countries out themselves, just as other countries have done throughout the Millennia.
Help our own? You need to report for re-education. 🙂
What we need to do is follow the Scandinavian model and set up a ‘home guard’. Probably best follow the Danish model.
Home guard sounds good, I would join.
Of course the fundamental problem is Assad without whom we would not have a Syrian crisis
Im often shocked by the amount of Turkphobia on this site which is key UK ally that we have trade of 20 billion almost and growing.. that actually spends over 2 percent on defence also amd is outside the EU. Turkey is a developed G20 country and has a larger economy than many EU member countries. Many discuss lets protect Greek borders. Greece is way less developed than Turkey. Germany took in 1 million refugees and brought it to its knees! Turkey took 4 million refugees and host the world largest refugees numbers and i see no far right parties… Read more »
Alex – without wanting to stir a Hornets Nest,you are correct in that Turkey is a very important UK Ally,but under the Leadership of Mr Erdogan the Turkish Government has become very unpredictable,leading to many fingers in many Pies,some of them not very pleasant.Theres the obvious involvement in the Syrian Civil War,the feeding frenzy over rights to Natural Resources in the Med,the increasing involvement in the mess that is Libya,the status of Northern Cyprus,and of course involvement in Gaza.There are some strange Alliances forming in the Eastern Mediterranean ,if it looks bad now it could get even worse in a… Read more »
Protests are currently stopped in Turkey, as per the orders of Erdogan, since the coup. There’s no longer any independent judiciary, lot less independent minded teachers, lecturers, high ranking military etc. If they aren’t supporters of Erdogan then they no longer have a voice. Oh and as someone who knows the region very well, Erdogan is still causing genocide on the Kurds. Turkey is the most unstable, untrustworthy and unpredictable NATO member and things will get worse.