New York (VNA) – Ambassador and Deputy Head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UNPham Hai Anh on August 27 underscored that it is important to provide timely,secure and unobstructed access to humanitarian aids in all areas in Syria to help the war-torn country combatCOVID-19.

Speaking at an UN Security Council (UNSC) open videoteleconference (VTC) on the situation in Syria, Anh highly spoke highly of the role of the UN and partners in maintaininghumanitarian assistance for Syrian people, and calledon the international community to provide the country with supports of allkinds, particularly to fight COVID-19.

The meeting was also briefed by the 1718 Sanctions Committeeabout Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The official later highlighted the link between resolving the DPRK’snuclear weapon issues and ensuring peace and security for a wider region; aswell as the significance of dialogues and negotiations to bridge differencesand seek long-term solutions for these matters.

The ambassador highly spoke of efforts made by the committee to promptly respond and grant long-term permitsto the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the DPRK in a bid to help thecountry stem the spread of the COVID-19 and deal with aftermaths of naturaldisasters.

He reiterated Vietnam’s support for nuclearnon-proliferation and disarmament, saying Vietnam is committed to implementingthe UNSC’s related resolutions and stands ready to contribute to the regionalpeace and stability.

In his remarks at the virtual event, Ramesh Rajasingham,UN Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, expressed concerns that actual coronavirus cases inSyria far exceed official figures confirmed by the government following reportsof healthcare facilities filling up and increasing death notices. The countryhas so far reported about 2,440 coronavirus cases.

It is even more worrisome that Syria’s healthcareservices are scarce and the disease has broken out at densely-populated camps hosting large numbers ofdisplaced people, including many women and children, living in very poorconditions.

UNSC members shared concerns over growing impact ofCOVID-19 on the socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Syria andemphasised that it is critical to maintain a favourable security environmentfor continued and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian assistance to allregions in the country.

Syria entered the 10th year of instability and conflict,creating one of the most serious humanitarian crises in history with hundredsof thousands of people injured and millions of others losing homes./.