Germany will double its relief aid in Türkiye and Syria with an additional 50 million euros ($53 million) for those affected by the massive twin earthquakes in Türkiye, Berlin’s foreign and interior ministers announced Tuesday during a visit.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany wants "to make it clear that we, as a global community, see this catastrophe and we support the population."
Baerbock was speaking during a visit Tuesday to Pazarcık, in southeast Türkiye, along with German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Of the new aid, 33 million euros will go to Türkiye and 17 million to northern Syria, bringing Germany's contribution to 108 million euros in the region hit by a deadly earthquake that has killed nearly 46,000.
"We're trying to get as much aid as possible into Syria, especially in the north of this country, through the crossings that have been opened, but the Syrian regime continues to obstruct the efforts of the United Nations," said Baerbock.
Two weeks after the disaster aid has been arriving slowly in northwestern Syria, a country torn apart by civil war.
The ministers confirmed that three-month visas will be granted to Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims with families in Germany.
According to the German foreign ministry, 96 visas have been issued so far.
The visa policy has been criticized because it was promised to be as unbureaucratic as possible. However, a valid passport and biometric photo are required for the visa, which some say are hard to attain for earthquake survivors whose homes have been destroyed.
Around 2.9 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany. The Syrian community is also large and is estimated at 924,000.
The German army has delivered over 340 tons of aid to Türkiye on 20 flights. On Tuesday, its air force was to transport 13 more tons of supplies. Included are 100 tents, 400 camp beds and over 1,000 sleeping bags.
Faeser assured the region of Germany's "deeply felt solidarity" in the face of the tens of thousands of victims.
"The survivors, who have lost everything, need winter-proof shelters quickly," she had said before departing for the visit.
On Feb. 6, two strong quakes hit southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria. More than 48,000 have died in the disaster so far, with over 42,000 in Türkiye alone.
One day before the ministers' visit, two more quakes occurred, three minutes apart, measuring 6.4 and 5.8 in magnitude, according to the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
