UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos has praised Iran for sending humanitarian aid to crisis-hit Syria.

In a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Mohammad-Reza Raouf Sheibani in the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, the deputy UN chief further called on Tehran to help facilitate the delivery of the world body’s humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

She said, Damascus, too, has facilitated the distribution of foreign aid among Syrians.

The senior UN also pointed to her talks with Syrian officials as well as UN measures to deliver humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.

The Iranian envoy, for his part, gave a report about Tehran’s humanitarian assistance to Syrians since the onset of the crisis in the Arab country.

He said the main reason behind the poor humanitarian condition in Syria is the economic blockade on the country, stressing that Western sanctions are affecting the lives of the Syrian people more than the Damascus government.

The ambassador also voiced Iran’s readiness to deliver more aid to the crisis-stricken people of Syria.

Iran has dispatched several consignments of humanitarian supplies, including medicines and medical equipment, to Syria to help people affected by the unrest in the Arab country.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. Some 100,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the crisis.

The UN said Tuesday that the number of Syrians who have fled their country has now crossed the 2 million mark.


HK