Restoring a Political Process and Humanitarian Aid Delivery in Syria

BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 13, 2016/APO/ — In view of the continued escalation of the conflict in Syria, Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, held a round of telephone conversations today and yesterday with the main international and regional actors. She spoke to the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, of Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Jubeir, of Iran, Javad Zarif, and of Turkey, Mevlut Çavusoglu.

The High Representative discussed with her interlocutors the need to restore a political process involving key international and regional players, and the ways in which the European Union could facilitate and support this perspective, in coordination with the United Nations. She also discussed the humanitarian initiative launched by the EU to deliver emergency relief to Eastern Aleppo and other besieged areas in Syria and to allow the evacuation of urgent medical cases.

The situation in Syria, and the European Union’s work on the humanitarian and on the political track will feature as a major point on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council taking place in Luxembourg on Monday, 17 October.