ASTANA. Dec 14 (Interfax) - The Syria talks in Astana contribute to the release of captives by the conflicting sides, the UN Security Council said in its resolution on extending transborder humanitarian assistance to Syria.
It said that the Astana Format accelerates the release of captives, especially women and children, the transfer of bodies, and the identification of missing persons, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The UN Security Council demands that all sides provide humanitarian convoys of the United Nations and its partners, including trucks carrying medical supplies and surgical tools, safe, unhampered, and constant access to all areas and groups of the population that require aid, as determined on the basis of an evaluation of Syria's needs.
Astana staunchly supports the activity of humanitarian organizations in Syria, including that of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, Kazakh Ambassador to the United Nations Kairat Umarov said.
"We stress the importance of complying with the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality in providing assistance to everyone, whether in areas controlled or not controlled by the government," he said.
Kazakhstan welcomes the resumption and enlargement of humanitarian assistance to Syria from Jordan and Turkey but is concerned about provocations of terrorist organizations that endanger UN humanitarian missions, according to the statement.
Umarov also welcomed the involvement of representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Astana talks on November 28-29. He noted that the discussion focused on the consolidation of peace efforts in Syria and ways to end the suffering of the civilian population.