Georgia to Pledge $100,000 to Syria

Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze said at his press briefing on December 29 that Georgia will transfer USD 100,000 to help Syria.

“As you know, the Prime Minister and the Government of Georgia responded immediately to the humanitarian crisis that unfolded in Syria. He expressed readiness to help the children, who suffered most [from the crisis],” Janelidze noted.

“We had active consultations with the United Nations and we inquired into ways of delivering humanitarian aid to Syria. At the end, we agreed to pledge the financial assistance of around USD 100,000 through a specialized UN fund, which already delivers humanitarian and financial assistance to war-affected Syrians,” Janelidze added.

Janelidze noted that the money would be transferred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced on December 17, when commenting on the situation in Aleppo, that the government was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrian children through the United Nations.

On December 19, the opposition United National Movement submitted the draft of the parliamentary statement on the humanitarian situation in Aleppo condemning the “military and political interference of the Russian Federation” and calling on the Georgian government to “deliver humanitarian assistance to the peaceful population of the country and accept refugees from Syria.”

UNM requested accelerated discussion of the statement, but the initiative was rejected by the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia lawmakers citing the need for more scrupulous discussion. The parliament went into the New Years break without discussing the statement.