ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany’s special envoy for Syria said on Tuesday that his country dedicated one billion euros to help those in need in Syria every year, adding that their aid covers Kurdish-held areas as well.
“Germany is giving every year one billion [euros] of support directly to the Syrian people in Syria, in the northwest, in the northeast, also in the regime-held areas,” Stefan Schneck told Rudaw’s Zinar Shino.
Syria has suffered from humanitarian and economic crises since the start of civil war more than a decade ago. Kurdish-held areas in northeast Syria (Rojava) have suffered from lack of international support while Turkey-held areas in northwest Syria have received aid through Turkish borders.
Schneck added that each area receives around 100 million euros, depending on the “space of intervention.”
“If there is a possibility, we often go to early recovery, for example, through our Syria Recovery Trust Fund. But if the regimes on the ground limit our space, of course we have to react. Usually, our help is based on needs,” noted the envoy.
Regarding Germany’s Syria policy, Schneck said that their policy is two-fold.
“We are insisting that there can be only a political solution within Resolution 2254,” he stated, reiterating their position against normalization of ties with Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The UN resolution was adopted in 2015 in an attempt to work towards peace in Syria.
