Doha, March 30 - The State of Qatar pledged another $100 million to alleviate the Syrian humanitarian crisis.

This came during the speech of HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the 5th Brussels conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and of the Region, which took place today via video conference.

His Excellency stressed the importance of having a collective response and enhancing contributions in alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people and the region. His Excellency added that the State of Qatar's financial and humanitarian aid to the Syrian people was more than $2 billion since the start of the crisis, whether in the form of governmental support or through non-governmental and charitable organizations.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs renewed the State of Qatar's position of supporting international efforts aiming to reach a political resolution to the Syrian crisis in line with Geneva I statement of 2012, UN Security Council resolutions, and in particular resolution no. 2254 which meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for security and stability and maintains the unity of Syria.

His Excellency said that the State of Qatar stresses the importance of the Syrian constitutional committee in helping to end the crisis, and its commitment to support the committee in cooperation with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, by engaging with Syrian parties and supporting the voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that holding today's conference reflects the international community's continued support of the Syrian people in alleviating their humanitarian crisis that has been ongoing for 10 years. His Excellency added that humanitarian conditions in Syria continue to deteriorate in light of the Syrian regime's continued human rights violations and war crimes that present an obstacle to a political solution, adding that the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and its economic impact has made living conditions for Syrians even harder, which requires and urgent intervention by the UN and its agencies, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO) to prioritize delivering vaccines to Syria.

His Excellency stressed that success in facing the humanitarian disaster resulting from the Syrian crisis cannot come without a political resolution to the crisis, which is difficult to achieve given the regime's stubbornness and rejection of the Syrian people's legitimate demands.

His Excellency thanked the European Union and the UN for their efforts in holding the fifth edition of the conference, and to all countries who continue to support Syrians despite the health crisis. His Excellency also thanked all countries and organizations that contribute to providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.