Donor conference collects seven billion euros for Turkey and Syria

The international community is mobilizing seven billion euros for the victims of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria. That said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday after a donor conference in Brussels. Together, expectations have been exceeded, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "When tragedy strikes, there is only one answer and that is solidarity."

Germany alone announced that it would more than double the earthquake aid it had already provided for both countries to around 240 million euros. According to von der Leyens, the EU is supporting the reconstruction of Turkey with one billion euros. A further 108 million euros should be made available for humanitarian and initial reconstruction aid in the civil war country Syria.

On February 6, two strong earthquakes shook southeast Turkey and northern Syria. In all, nearly 57,000 people lost their lives and millions were left homeless. Von der Leyen therefore invited to the donor conference together with Kristersson. Immediately after the tremors, the EU and its member states sent rescue workers, search dogs and equipment to the earthquake areas and pledged financial aid. The latter are included in part in the total amount now mentioned.

"We must maintain our support and help the survivors not only survive but also rebuild their lives," von der Leyen said. She stressed that homes, schools and hospitals must be rebuilt to the highest earthquake-proof standards. The fact that this was not the case before the devastating earthquake is considered by many in the country to be one of the reasons for the scale of the disaster. In addition, the water supply, sewage systems and other important infrastructure would have to be repaired. Six weeks after the catastrophe, these are still fallow in many places.

The effects of the earthquake are devastating in both countries. In Turkey alone, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the number of deaths has now risen to a good 50,000. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around 6,800 people died in the tremors across Syria. Because Bashar al-Assad's government is brutally cracking down on its own people, the EU is not financing the country's reconstruction, but is limiting itself to humanitarian support and the most necessary reconstruction, such as repairing water pipes.

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