The Assad regime, backed by its allies Russia and Iran, continues its military offensive to retake key areas in Idlib and Aleppo, with no regard for the civilian population trapped in the area and indiscriminate killings of hundreds of civilians. Once more, hundreds of thousands of children are trapped amid the violence.

With a view to the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council of 6th of March, Dacian CIOLOȘ, President of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament stated:

“I strongly condemn the continuing military offensives and targeting of civilians by the Assad regime and its allies, Russia and Iran. Along with my group, I call for strong and comprehensive EU leadership in cooperation with our international partners with the objective of immediately ceasing hostilities in Syria.

The EU must put all its weight behind a rapid de-escalation of the situation and all available options should be used, including aerial aid drops, humanitarian assistance corridors and the establishment of no-fly zones - backed up by action, not words. The EU should play a leading role in brokering a peaceful solution and the Foreign Affairs Council should put traction behind the idea of a no fly zone in northern Syria. Humanitarian assistance should be increased to the highest level, proportionate to the disaster and its potential consequences.

Moreover, the EU should immediately negotiate a new and legally sound agreement with Turkey that should contribute to ceasing the inhumane situation on the EU - Turkey border. In addition, we need an extraordinary council on Migration to end the stalemate and to reach a decisive agreement on a common EU migration pact. This pact should focus on both the internal and external dimensions of migration. Renew Europe has provided the building blocks for this with its vision on Europe's migration and asylum policy. We cannot sit on our hands until the next crisis occurs".