Russia Provides $10M to Syrian Refugees

MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has donated $10 million for Syrian refugees and is ready to provide more, a Russian envoy said Tuesday.

The $10 million in targeted aid for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan was funneled through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Alexei Borodavkin, Russia’s permanent representative at the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, was quoted by the Foreign Ministry’s press service as saying.

Russia has made tens of millions of dollars’ worth of contributions via the UN and other international organizations, he said, adding that Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has also provided hundreds of tons of urgent humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees in countries bordering the war-torn state, where the UN says more than 100,000 people have died since fighting broke out between government troops and rebels in March 2011.

“We reaffirm our commitment to continue providing such assistance,” the envoy said.

At present there are about 5 million internally displaced people in Syria, which is double the number of refugees, Borodavkin said.

Russia is pushing for the lifting of economic sanctions against Syria, he said.

“We note that the worsening of the humanitarian situation in and around Syria is largely the result of unilateral economic sanctions introduced in circumvention of the UN Security Council,” he said.

“We are calling for their immediate revocation.”