NewsMiddle EastEU announces one billion euros for reconstruction in Turkey after the earthquakes

EU announces one billion euros for reconstruction in Turkey after the earthquakes

Published on : 03/20/2023 – 17:12

A month after the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, the European Union pledged on Monday to pay one billion euros in aid for the reconstruction of Turkey and 108 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria.

The European Commission pledged Monday, March 20 to pay one billion euros in aid for the reconstruction of Turkey and 108 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria after the earthquakes of February 6 which killed more than 56,000 people. in these two countries.

At an international donors’ conference in Brussels, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the “needs of survivors were enormous and had to be addressed urgently”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has estimated “some 104 billion dollars” (97 billion euros) the cost of the damage in his country. “Regardless of its economic status, it is impossible for a country to fight a disaster of this magnitude alone,” said the Turkish leader, who was speaking via video conference.

Millions of people saw their homes destroyed in the earthquake-affected area in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, home to a large population of refugees or displaced by the Syrian conflict. In Syria, the damage is estimated at 8.9 billion dollars by the UN, and the cost of emergency repairs at 14.8 billion.

“The situation in the affected regions remains desperate”

Germany announced that it would double its aid to the victims of the earthquake, bringing it to 240 million euros, and France that it was adding 12 million to the 30 million already announced for Turkey and Syria.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had regretted a fortnight ago the weak response to the emergency appeal launched by the UN in mid-February to raise more than a billion dollars for Turkey, and nearly $400 million for Syria. The appeal for Turkey has so far only been funded at 16%.

The NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called on donors to ensure that these appeals are fully covered and that funds can reach aid organizations on the ground “without delay”.

“More than a month after the earthquake, the situation in the affected areas remains desperate. With many houses damaged or destroyed, many people have no choice but to sleep in overcrowded collective shelters and under -equipped,” said Tanya Evans, IRC’s Syria director.

The magnitude 7.8 quake, followed by another nine hours later, killed 50,096 people in Turkey, according to the latest official report. In addition, 5,954 people also lost their lives in Syria, according to a compilation made by AFP.

In Turkey, floods hit two of the provinces affected by the earthquake on Wednesday, leaving around 20 people dead or missing and adding to the distress of the survivors.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, candidate for his own succession on May 14, asked “forgiveness” to the populations affected by the earthquake for the delays in the arrival of relief and promised reconstruction at no load, “in one year”.

Damascus excluded

Even if relations are often tense, Turkey is a key partner for the European Union, which has paid more than five billion euros to this country to help it cope with the reception of Syrian refugees.

“We welcome four million refugees, including 3.5 million Syrians. As we heal our wounds, we stand in solidarity with the Syrian people, who have also been affected by the earthquake,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On the other hand, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sanctioned by the West since the repression in 2011 of the popular uprising which degenerated into civil war, is not associated with the conference. What the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “deplored” in a press release.

While international aid was quickly sent to Turkey after the earthquake, humanitarian organizations found themselves facing major difficulties in providing support to the Syrian population, particularly in the rebel area of ​​Idleb (north-west ).

The EU and US have since eased sanctions on Syria, while Damascus has agreed to allow the UN to open two more border crossings to help deliver more aid.

Since the earthquake, moreover, several Arab countries have resumed contact with Damascus and sent aid.

The Syrian president arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for an official visit, his second to the Gulf since the earthquake. The Emirates have promised him more than 100 million dollars in aid.

Russia, Damascus’ main ally, is excluded from the Brussels donors’ conference because of the war in Ukraine.

With AFP

Source: France 24

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