Turkish Red Crescent inaugurates delegation office in Syria's Damascus

On December 21, the Turkish Red Crescent inaugurated a new delegation office in Damascus, Syria marking its second international mission.

The ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), with attendees including Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meric Yilmaz, Syrian Red Crescent President Mohammad Hazem, and Turkish Red Crescent General Director of International Affairs and Migration Services Alper Kucuk, among other officials, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media. 

Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the signing of a protocol, the Turkish delegation office was officially set up within the Syrian Red Crescent building. 

Aid packages were distributed to those in need after the event. Yilmaz and Hazem then visited the Barzeh district in Damascus to provide assistance to vulnerable residents.

During the visit, Yilmaz presented a commemorative plaque to Hazem, congratulating him on his recent appointment as president of the Syrian Red Crescent.

She expressed her pleasure with their continued cooperation, highlighting their previous joint humanitarian efforts in Idlib. Yilmaz emphasised that this delegation office will enable them to more effectively assess needs and coordinate services in the region. 

"Each country's Red Crescent gains substantial strength in humanitarian aid by collaborating with others within its own borders," she said.

She highlighted the significance of their partnership.

"As leaders of two Red Crescent organizations, we have committed to working together to speed up recovery efforts and enhance humanitarian support," she added.

On November 27, armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian army positions in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces. By the evening of December 7, they had captured several major cities (Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Homs), and on December 8, they entered Damascus, with Syrian government forces withdrawing from the city.

Syrian government leader Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali expressed readiness for a peaceful transfer of power in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Bashar al-Assad stepped down as president of Syria and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful handover of power. According to Russian state media, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow as opposition forces took control of Syria's capital, and was granted asylum by Russia on humanitarian grounds. The decision to grant asylum to Assad and his family was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

By Naila Huseynova