Switzerland announced on Thursday an extension of the humanitarian exemption from sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime for an additional six months.
The exemption was first initiated by Switzerland in response to the earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023, which was set to expire on 10 March.
On 3 March, the Swiss Federal Council declared a temporary relaxation of certain sanctions on the Syrian regime to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria.
This decision followed the issuance of “Syrian General License GL 23” by the US Treasury Department, permitting all earthquake relief-related transactions for 180 days.
These transactions were previously prohibited under sanctions regulations imposed on the Syrian regime.
On his part, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempted to leverage the earthquake disaster, which destroyed hundreds of buildings in the northern part of the country, to pursue political gains.
He advocated for humanitarian aid to be directed through areas under his control, aiming to gradually loosen the international isolation imposed on him.
The Syrian regime reiterated its call for coordination in aid distribution, but Western countries displayed no willingness to comply with this demand or to engage with Assad anew.
Last year, the Turkish Immigration Authority permitted the renewal of travel permits for Syrians affected by the recent earthquake.
However, this will be under conditions relating to the status of their homes in their earthquake-stricken provinces.
The Syrian-Turkish Joint Committee announced that it was informed, that travel permits will be renewed for Syrians coming from earthquake zones. This decision is based on the condition of each family’s home in their affected province.
Renewals will be available for members of families who resided at an address categorized as “severely affected.”
