India: India has gifted 2000 metric tonnes of rice to Syria, intending to strengthen food security in the middle eastern land.
The initial consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice was given over by India Ambassador into Syria, Hifzur Rahman, to the Minister from Local Administration & Head of Supreme Relief Committee Hussain Makhlouf on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs announced in a statement on Friday.
The left 1000 metric tonnes of rice is expected to reach Syria on February 18. The rice is being provided in response to a request from the Syrian government for emergency humanitarian aid.
“India and Syria have historically enjoyed solid and friendly relations,” the statement read.
The Indian government, the ministry stated, has always “stood in solidarity with the people of Syria, and our mutual engagement has continued apace even during the years of internal conflict several development and capacity building projects.”
Syria’s civil war started during the Arab Spring in 2011 as a peaceful uprising against the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. It has for escalated — shattering Syrians’ lives, destroying cities, straining global politics, and spurring diplomatic efforts that are questioned continuously as the world is witnessing the horrors of ongoing warfare.
Earlier, India had gifted ten metric tonnes of medicines in July 2020 to Syria as part of COVID-19 assistance.
Over 500 Syrians served from the artificial limbs (Jaipur foot) fitment camp organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in cooperation with Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) in Damascus during January 2020.
Throughout the academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20, 1000 scholarships were extended to Syrian students for proceeding bachelors, masters, and post-doctoral programmes within Indian universities following the ‘Study in India’ initiative.
India is further establishing a NextGen Centre for Information Technology in Damascus, for which preparatory work has commenced, the ministry said.
India is also helping many countries amid pandemic times in different ways rather than with medicines or food.
