Sergey Stepashin tells "KP": We have helped Syrian people for three years. Today the importance of this mission has increased threefold
“We help the Syrians since March 2013,” told Sergey Stepashin to ‘KP’.
“This humanitarian act is carried out with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and is aimed at supporting civilians suffering from hostilities, regardless of their religious affiliation. Participating in this international campaign are regional offices of our society, Russian non-government organization.”
In fact, as ‘Komsomolskaya Pravda’ has already reported, IOPS regulary sends aid to Syria with the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies. In total, 12 shipments of humanitarian supplies were already delivered. The aid involves foodstuffs, including baby food, medical equipment, medicines, bandages and disinfectants, articles of daily necessity, and school supplies. All of those were collected by Russian citizens and organizations and transferred to Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and the Supreme Mufti of Syria for distribution to the needy.
On Thursday, September 17, the editorial board of ‘KP’ received IOPS’ statement, where, inter alia, it is said: “In the days when the Syrian people are facing especially severe consequences of the unleashed war and the humanitarian disaster, amid the invasion of ISIS terrorists seeking to wipe out the civilizational heritage of this ancient country, to destroy holy shrines, monuments and the inter-faith balance which lasted for centuries, the representatives of Russian civil society and the Russian Orthodox Church are committed to support the civilian population of Syria”.
“We declare the collection of humanitarian aid and donations to support the people of Syria. We appeal to Russian citizens, non-government organizations and all who stand out for justice and peaceful coexistence of peoples with a request to respond to our call”.
