EU announces donor conference to raise emergency funds for Turkey and Syria
The European Union has announced a donor conference to raise funds for Turkey and Syria as the two countries continue to grapple with the devastation caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake this week, CNN reports.
The bloc’s chief, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the conference in a joint statement Wednesday following a call with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The event will be held in March in Brussels, according to the statement.
Von der Leyen, who is the European Commission president, stressed that the bloc’s 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.”
In a news release earlier on Wednesday, the EU said the current operation is one of the "largest ever search and rescue operations" carried out through its Civil Protection Mechanism.
So far, the bloc said it has sent 31 search and rescue teams and 5 medical teams from 23 countries to impacted areas in Turkey and Syria.
Syrian authorities called on the EU to activate its Civil Protection Mechanism on Wednesday morning whereas their Turkish counterparts asked the bloc to trigger the support mechanism on Monday, according to the news release.
The bloc also committed itself to provide Turkey with 3 million euros (around $3.2 million) in assistance. Separately, Syria will receive 3.5 million euros (around $3.7 million) in emergency aid assistance.
The EU said the latter funding will help people in Syria “in need to access shelter, water and sanitation, health various items they currently need, as well as to support the search and rescue operations.”
