Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from Die Zeit:

Federal government pledges one billion euros for Syria

Millions of Syrians are dependent on humanitarian aid, and the war in Ukraine is worsening the supply situation. The EU countries have pledged billions in aid.

At a Syria donor conference in Brussels, the German Development Ministry and the Federal Foreign Office pledged €1.05 billion in aid for the coming years. “The money is intended to improve the life prospects of the people in Syria and the neighboring countries that have been badly affected by the Syrian war and have taken in millions of refugees,” it said. According to the Federal Development Ministry, the money comes from this year’s federal budget and is to be used in the coming years.

“Even if Europe is naturally looking at Ukraine right now, we are not forgetting the Syrian civil war and the suffering it is causing,” said Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) in a statement. Further money for development cooperation is being planned. In Syria alone, almost fifteen million people are dependent on humanitarian aid, and twelve million people are at risk of being fed. The situation is also getting worse in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, where many Syrians live. Not least because of the Ukraine war, which has resulted in rising wheat prices.

At the start of the donor conference, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell drew attention to the effects of the war in Ukraine on Syria. Already, 60 percent of the Syrian population suffers from food insecurity and hardly knows where their next meal will come from, Borrell said. For the EU, he announced aid of €3.16 billion for the period 2022 to 2023.

“Our strong political commitment to Syria must be backed up by an equally strong financial commitment,” said the foreign policy officer. The EU will maintain sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A normalization of relations cannot take place until the Syrian refugees can safely return home, Borrell said. Aid organizations hope that the conference, jointly organized by the EU and the UN, will draw some of the world’s attention back to Syria. The funds are also to be used to help the 5.7 million Syrian refugees who live in neighboring countries.

Afterword from the translator:

It is always remarkable how the government generously distributes German tax money in all directions as if there were no tomorrow, while the local working population can still pull the cart and is burdened with high taxes to cover the endless expenses.

Brandtner from AfD stated that after retiring as chancellor, Schröder has six people who are paid by the taxpayer.

Mutti Merkel gets by with ONLY nine people, at a cost of €100,000 per month! It’s hard to believe that the people are putting up with this.