EU High Officials Call for Humanitarian Pause for Syria

High EU officials called for a cessation of hostilities in Syria in order to provide humanitarian access to those in need.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — High officials of the European Union in a statement on Friday called for a cessation of hostilities in Syria in order to provide access to those in need.

"As the European Union…we reiterated the urgent need for all parties to the conflict to restore the cessation of hostilities, ensure the lifting of all sieges and allow sustained, countrywide humanitarian access to those in need in Syria," the joint statement by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides reads.

Commemorating World Humanitarian Day, the diplomats paid tribute to the nearly 4,000 humanitarian workers who have become victims of major attacks since records began in 1997.

On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry welcomed a proposal put forward by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura for a 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo, and expressed its readiness to implement the first 48-hour humanitarian pause next week to supply the city with aid as a "pilot project."