Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák has signed a global appeal addressed to the parties engaged in the on-going Syrian conflict to observe the international humanitarian rights for the protection of civilians, announced the ministry's press department on Saturday.
The humanitarian appeal was initiated by Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders in response to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Syria, associated with the poor provision of basic health care in the conflict-stricken country. The initiative has been already joined by 27 EU-member countries and by Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, who is responsible for the EU's agenda related to international co-operation, humanitarian aid and crisis response. In an open letter published last Monday, a coalition of 51 eminent doctors and medical workers warned of an impending medical catastrophe in Syria, calling for humanitarian access to those in need. The signatories of the letter claim that since the outburst of the conflict more than two years ago, there have been systematic assaults on medical facilities, personnel, as well as patients. It has been reported that around 15,000 medical professionals have been driven from the country with almost 40 percent of hospitals in Syria having been destroyed completely and another 20 percent of facilities are severely damaged.
