Brussels To Host Global Donors' Conference On March 20 To Help Quake-Hit Syria, Turkey

The European Commission and Sweden, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, announced on Friday their intention to host an International Donors' Conference on March 20 to mobilize further aid to quake-hit Turkey and Syria

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2023) The European Commission and Sweden, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, announced on Friday their intention to host an International Donors' Conference on March 20 to mobilize further aid to quake-hit Turkey and Syria.

"On 20 March in Brussels, the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU will host an International Donors' Conference to support the people in Turkiye and Syria affected by the recent devastating earthquakes," the European Commission said in a statement.

The event will be co-hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and held in coordination with the Turkish government, the statement read.

All EU member states, incumbent and potential candidates, the bloc's neighbors and partners, G20 members - except for Russia - as well as the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations, various international and humanitarian organizations, financial institutions will be invited to participate in the conference, the European Commission added.

"Six weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria , we come together to support the survivors of this tragedy.

Our solidarity will continue to be as strong as it was in the first hours after the earthquake. The people in Turkiye and Syria should know that we are with them for the long run. I invite all nations and all donors, public and private, to contribute and honour the memory of the lives lost, the heroism of the first responders and most importantly to build together a better future for the survivors," von der Leyen was quoted as saying in the statement.

In February, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey at a nine-hour interval. The underground shocks followed by hundreds of aftershocks were felt in 11 Turkish provinces and in the neighboring countries, with Syria being affected the most. Over 46,000 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster in Turkey alone, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Thousands more died in Syria.

Various countries and international organizations have made pledges to provide all necessary aid to the two quake-hit countries, with the EU, the United States and the United Kingdom temporarily relieving sanctions imposed on the Syrian government prior to and after the civil war began in 2011.