EU Special Envoy for Syria Dan Stoenescu said it was completely unfair to accuse the European Union of not providing enough aid to Syrians after the devastating earthquake that hit parts of Syria and Turkey earlier this week, Reuters reported.

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The earthquake in Turkey and Syria 319

The special envoy told Reuters that the bloc and its member countries had raised more than 50 million euros to provide aid and support for rescue missions and first aid in both government- and rebel-held areas of Syria.

"It is completely unfair to accuse us of not providing aid when for more than a decade we have been doing exactly that, and even more so since the earthquake crisis began," Stoenescu said in a written comment. for Reuters.

More than 3,500 people died in the earthquake in Syria, where the 12-year conflict has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions inside and outside the country.

The war has divided Syria into zones controlled by one or the other of the warring camps, making the delivery of aid difficult, even before Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

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The Syrian government, which is subject to Western sanctions, has asked the United Nations for help and said all aid must be provided in coordination with Damascus and delivered and distributed within all of Syria, not across the border with Turkey in areas controlled by the rebels.

Some observers have accused Damascus of diverting aid to areas loyal to the government.

Syrian authorities have yet to respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the matter today.

A military transport plane carrying a 30-tonne shipment of humanitarian aid from Italy to Syria, including four lines and 13 pallets of medical equipment, landed yesterday at the Lebanese capital Beirut International Airport on its way to Damascus, the first European aid to earthquake-hit Syria.

Stoenescu said the EU encouraged its member states to provide aid, and that sanctions "do not prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid".

However, he noted that the EU has foreseen that partners can request exemptions "for humanitarian purposes and wants to further clarify these possibilities".

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"The more the topic of sanctions is brought up, the more prejudices and fears of honest partners who want to help and join international humanitarian efforts," he said.

The EU is seeking "sufficient guarantees" that the aid provided will reach vulnerable groups, Stoenescu said, adding that the Syrian government has resorted to the practice of "diversion of aid" in the past.

"We call on the authorities in Damascus not to politicize the delivery of humanitarian aid, but to cooperate in good faith with humanitarian partners and UN agencies to help people," he said.

The earthquake in Turkey and Syria