It is our responsibility not to abandon the people who for five years now have been suffering from the effects of the brutal conflict in Syria. That is why we will make available an additional 100 million euro in Federal Foreign Office funds for humanitarian assistance in Syria and its neighbouring countries. This will bring the total amount of funding that will be pledged by Germany in Kuwait to aid people in Syria and its neighbours to 255 million euro.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is catastrophic: Nearly 12 million Syrians have been displaced, both internally and throughout the region. More than seven million children – who are the hope for Syria's future – are not receiving enough humanitarian aid and cannot attend school regularly. Syria's neighbours, above all Lebanon and Jordan, are bursting at the seams with the number of refugees. Last October at the Syrian Refugee Conference in Berlin, Germany committed itself to work hard to help especially the neighbouring countries to deal with the crisis.

Even if the funding now pledged will still be insufficient in face of the sheer dimension of the crisis, it does help provide aid that directly benefits people in need. Having pledged more than one billion euro in total since 2012, Germany is one of the largest international donors to the Syrian refugee crisis. This also sends a signal that, in spite of the many crises and conflicts that are shaking the region, we are not forgetting Syria.

One thing remains clear: A real solution can only be achieved through political means. An end to violence and a return of the refugees will only be possible when the Syrian regime finally decides to engage in a serious negotiation process, with a view to reaching a peaceful solution.