Turkish Red Crescent opens delegation office in Damascus
The Turkish Red Crescent opened a new delegation office in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday, marking its second foreign mission.
The office was inaugurated at the headquarters of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) during a ceremony attended by Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meric Yilmaz, Syrian Red Crescent President Mohammad Hazem, Turkish Red Crescent General Director of International Affairs and Migration Services Alper Kucuk, and other officials.
After a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the signing of a protocol, the Turkish delegation office was officially established within the Syrian Red Crescent building. Following the event, aid packages were distributed to those in need.
Yilmaz and Hazem later visited the Barzeh district in Damascus to deliver additional aid to vulnerable residents. Yilmaz also presented Hazem with a commemorative plaque, congratulating him on his recent appointment as president of the Syrian Red Crescent.
She expressed satisfaction with their ongoing collaboration, highlighting their prior humanitarian efforts in Idlib.
‘Every country’s Red Crescent’
Yilmaz emphasized that the new delegation office would help assess needs and coordinate services in the region more effectively. “Every country’s Red Crescent, by working with others within its own country, gains significant strength in the field of humanitarian aid,” she said.
She further stressed the importance of their partnership: “As the leaders of two Red Crescents, we’ve pledged to cooperate in accelerating recovery efforts and advancing humanitarian assistance.”
Bashar Assad, Syria’s regime leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia following the takeover of Damascus by anti-regime groups on December 8. This marked the end of the Baath Party’s rule, which had lasted since 1963. The takeover followed a rapid offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who captured key cities in less than two weeks.