Eu Pledges 50 Million Euros More For Aid İn Syria

The European Union decided on Tuesday to provide 50 million euros (around 67 million dollars) more in humanitarian aid amid the deepening crisis in Syria.



The additional funds will be used to meet the urgent requirements of the most vulnerable people in Syria and its neighboring countries, and to help health services through increasing medicine and water supply, the European Commission said in a statement. The EU had already granted 134 million dollars this year in humanitarian aid.



The Commission said it had also decided to increase development aid for Syria's neighbors by 125 million euros (around $167 million) to reach 200 million euros ($268 million) in order to help them address an "unprecedented flow of refugees." The "world's largest humanitarian crisis" affects 9.3 million people inside Syria and a further 2.8 million refugees are "in need of vital assistance," the Commission said.



Syria has been gripped by fighting since the regime of Bashar al-Assad launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict that has spiraled into civil war.



Hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have been killed and millions of others displaced, seeking shelter in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Brüksel