Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said on Sunday he was puzzled by the delay in aid to victims of the earthquake in Syria, adding that it was wrong to abuse humanitarian aid for political purposes.

Speaking at the opening of the UN Least Developed Countries conference in Qatar’s capital Doha on Sunday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani stressed the need to help Syrians “without hesitation” and support Turkey’s efforts to recover from the devastating earthquake.

“Our meeting is taking place while our brothers in Turkey and Syria are still suffering from the impacts of the massive earthquake that struck them and affected millions,” Sheikh Tamim said.

“I stress the necessity of giving a helping hand without hesitation to the brotherly Syrian people.

Exploiting a human tragedy for political purposes is unacceptable.

There is no way through which we can build a new, safer, more just and more free world for today and tomorrow except through the path of international human solidarity.” More than 45,000 people have died in Turkey while nearly 6,000 deaths have been reported in Syria where the northwest region controlled by rebels at war with President Bashar al-Assad was the worst hit.