Italy Allocates $3.3Mln for Syria in View of Recent Munich Arrangements

Italy has allocated three million euros ($3.3 million at current exchange rates) for humanitarian aid in Syria in view of the agreements, reached during the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) session in Munich, Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The ISSG meeting, which started late on Thursday, lasted for several hours and saw the participation of Russia, the United States and over a dozen other states. The talks resulted in the adoption of a final communique that calls for humanitarian access to be provided swiftly to all besieged areas in Syria and sets a one-week deadline for measures to be implemented to end the hostilities in Syria.

According to the statement, 2 million euros will be allocated to the World Food Programme, which will be able to ensure distribution of foodstuffs to over 30,000 refugees travelling toward the Turkish border from Syria.

Another aid package of 1 million euros is expected to be allocated to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the statement reads.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant organizations, including Islamic State, which is banned in Russia and a number of other countries.