Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The European Commission and Sweden announced plans to host a Donors’ Conference for Turkey and Syria to help them recover from the recent earthquake.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Commission noted that EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the plan and pointed out that the conference will be held in Brussels in March.
“We are all shaken by the devastating effects of the earthquakes” in Turkey and Syria, von der Leyen stated.
“The priority now is to work around the clock to save as many lives as possible as many people are still trapped under the rubble, in buildings,” she added and reiterated that the conference would be held next month.
Von der Leyen stressed that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism dispatched “31 search and rescue teams and 5 medical teams from 23 countries,” adding that the EU stands with Turkey and Syria.
Kristersson pointed out that the earthquake “is a disaster without recent precedent” and added, “the extent of the loss of life and physical damage is becoming clearer by the day.”
Importance of assistance
“As President of the Council of the European Union, Sweden wants to ensure that the EU’s assistance is adequate to meet the need of the Turkish and Syrian people in this terrible time,” he concluded.
The EC pointed out that the conference will “help to mobilize the international community to deal with the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquakes” and added that it will be open to the bloc and UN members, neighboring countries, and international financial institutions.
The body reminded us that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people and causing severe damage.
It added that bloc members and Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia offered to help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, stressing that the teams have more than 1,500 rescuers and 100 search-and-rescue dogs.
The Commission noted that the UN is to launch an assessment of Turkey and Syria’s post-disaster needs to help estimate overall costs of reconstruction and rehabilitation, stressing that the EC “stands ready to contribute to this assessment.”
