North and East Syria Deputy Co-Chair Elizabeth Gawriye: Decision to open Bab al-Hawa crossing is politicized and will only strengthen criminal factions

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA – In a statement, Deputy Co-Chair of the Executive Council in the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria Elizabeth Gawriye declared that the recent U.N. decision to re-open Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey as the only crossing for humanitarian aid to the Syrians, is “politicized” and aims to revive the criminal factions who answer to Turkey.

“The decision to re-open Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey is politicized and it will lead to a double suffering for the Syrian people. It also raises many questions and has serious repercussions for the Syrian people in general, since the border crossing is under the control of the Turkish occupation and its terrorist factions,” stated Gawriye.

“We have made many appeals to re-open the border crossings in the areas of North and East Syria to ensure safe humanitarian aid delivery to Syrians and IDPs. But no response to our demands has been received so far,” Gawriye continued.

Gawriye doubted the aims of the decision, saying that, “Humanitarian aid will pass through areas that are under the control of the armed terrorist factions, who are constantly in-fighting among each other and destabilizing the region.”

As for the consequences of Caesar’s Law – the recently imposed U.S sanctions on the Syrian regime and its backers – and the statements of the U.S. administration that the DAA areas will be exempt from these sanctions, Gawriye stated, “So far, there are no steps or signs to exclude the regions of North and East Syria from the consequences of Caesar’s Law that the Syrian people are suffering from.”

Gawriye called on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent measures and speed up the political solution that will end the suffering of the Syrians.