Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

534. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the reports of Aleppo Airport being out of service due to an air raid (details supplied); if he will publicly condemn this attack as a human rights abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13131/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The people of Syria have endured unimaginable levels of hardship and suffering for 12 years and the earthquakes in February have added to their misery. I am aware of reports of airstrikes in northern Syria, which led to the closure of Aleppo airport.

Ireland does not have independent sources of information on these attacks and so I cannot comment on the accuracy of those reports. I do however condemn any deliberate targeting of infrastructure that would have the effect of affecting the delivery of vital humanitarian aid into northern Syria and endangering the lives of civilians. I was pleased to see that Aleppo airport resumed operations on 10 March.

Even before the February earthquakes, vulnerable Syrians depended heavily on humanitarian aid, particularly in the North West of the country. During our tenure on the Security Council, Ireland worked closely with Norway to secure an extension for the UN mandate for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Northern Syria. Ireland continues to be guided by the principle that aid must reach all those in need in Syria. I am pleased that since the earthquake, more corridors have been opened to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery.

Ireland remains strongly committed to addressing the enormous humanitarian needs in Syria. In 2022, we provided €24 million in humanitarian assistance for the victims of the crisis in Syria. This brings the total provided since 2012 to almost €220 million, Ireland’s largest ever response to a single crisis. In response to the recent earthquakes, we allocated €10 million in emergency assistance for the people of the region. The earthquake response to Syria and Türkiye includes the largest ever deployment of emergency stocks under our Rapid Response Initiative, consisting of blankets, tents, solar lamps, hygiene kits, kitchen sets and emergency shelter kits.

I call again for all parties to the conflict in Syria to exercise restraint and avoid any further action that could worsen the suffering of the Syrian people.