ALEPPO, Syria. March 21 (Interfax) - A Russian Duma delegation led by Deputy Speaker and United Russia faction leader Vladimir Vasilyev, and a group of representatives from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visited Aleppo on Tuesday and spoke to residents of the eastern part of the city.
The delegation visited a school in the Hanano neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. Deputies were present at the distribution of humanitarian aid among the children and parents.
Of the 350 schoolchildren 250 are orphans, Alexei Gorobets, head of the reconciliation center for the Eastern District of Aleppo, said. Residents were given hot food and presents.
For his part, the head of the Duma international affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky, said that Russian humanitarian aid for Syria comes from a number of government agencies. "Yesterday we spoke to President al-Assad and Syrian National Council deputies so that our humanitarian convoys get most favorable treatment, so that their passing across the country, across those difficult areas is made as easy as possible," Slutsky told journalists.
The Duma delegation also visited temporary isolation units set up on Aleppo streets where army medics are treating local residents. "The more nations are involved in the humanitarian process, the sooner we will defeat terror," the delegation chief said.