I welcome the fact that the Security Council has finally made a binding statement that humanitarian assistance must be made available across borders and lines of conflict.

For the first time the right to deliver urgently needed medicine and food to Syria without the consent of the Syrian Government in Damascus has been stated in binding form. This makes it possible to provide supplies to people in need in all parts of Syria. We have worked for a long time to help bring this about.

Taking Turkey as a base, we have provided help to people in northern Syria. The United Nations can now build on these structures. What matters now is a swift implementation of the resolution in order to actually help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian population who urgently needs our assistance. At the same time, we have to explore all possible avenues for a political solution to this bloody conflict.