German Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) is urging rapid aid for stabilizing Syria.
“It’s about using the current chance to stabilize Syria and therefore supporting it” she told the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday edition). “This is a prerequisite for Syrian refugees to be able to return to their homeland in the future. It’s not a guarantee, but it would be foolish to let this opportunity slip away.”
“Large parts of the country are destroyed after almost 14 years of civil war. 90 percent of the population live in poverty and are in need of help. The support is urgently needed to give the people on the ground a perspective for the future. Only if in Syria, children can go to school and people have something to eat and an income, can the transition phase develop positively.”
She added: “With a strengthened civil society, a Syria can emerge in which different ethnic groups and men and women can live peacefully and equally. Delaying support now could lead to bitter regret later.