The European Union is set to host an international conference next month to mobilize support following the disastrous earthquakes in Türkiye, according to Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.
Last week's earthquakes had devastating consequences in both Türkiye and neighboring Syria, Billström said as he spoke to journalists in Helsinki on Tuesday.
"We stand in solidarity with Türkiye and with the Syrian people. We are now focusing on supporting those affected by this tragedy," he said, adding that they are coordinating efforts closely with Turkish authorities and the UN.
"Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has taken the initiative to organize a donor conference in Brussels in March, hosted by the Swedish EU presidency and the European Commission," Billström said, referring to Sweden holding the bloc's rotating presidency.
"And we will, of course, do this in close coordination with Türkiye. The aim is to mobilize international support to the affected areas," he explained.
Twelve EU members have already provided 50,000 winter-proof family tents, 100,000 blankets, and 50,000 heaters immediately in the wake of the disaster. At the same time, the block dispatched rescue teams, including 1,651 helpers and 106 rescue dogs, and pledged to send more tents, blankets, and heaters to quake-hit regions in Türkiye.
Additionally, the EU Commission mobilized 500 emergency shelters, 8,000 beds, and 2,000 tents, with President Ursula von der Leyen assuring the two countries could “count on the EU" for help.
But the commission initially offered minimal assistance to Syria through existing humanitarian programs because of EU sanctions imposed since 2011 on the Assad regime in response to his brutal crackdown on protesters, which spiraled into a civil war. After Damascus made an official plea to the EU for help, the bloc’s commissioner for crisis management said the European countries were asked to “respond favorably” to the request.
At least 35,000 people were killed and over 80,000 others injured after the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southern Türkiye within less than 10 hours on Feb. 6, affecting around 13 million people, according to the latest official figures.
The earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaraş, also hit nine other provinces-Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
Several countries in the region, as far as Lebanon and the island of Cyprus, also felt the strong tremors, with neighboring Syria taking the more significant damage after Türkiye.
The war-ravaged country’s death toll has climbed above 5,791, with more than 14,749 injured. Authorities expect casualties to increase as hope for rescuing more survivors in the rubble fades on the tenth day.
