EU to hold donor conference on Türkiye, Syria quake disasters

The European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen announced on February 8 that the EU is planning to host a donor conference in March to collect international aid for Türkiye and Syria to help them following two massive earthquakes which took place on February 6.

"We are now racing against the clock to save lives together. Soon we will provide relief aid, together. Türkiye and Syria can count on the EU," von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

The EU said the conference would be held early next month in Brussels in coordination with Turkish authorities "to mobilise funds from the international community in support for the people" of both countries.

"No one should be left alone when a tragedy like this hits a people," von der Leyen said in a statement.

The event is aimed at coordinating the international response to the disaster and "will be open to EU Member States, neighbouring countries, UN members" and international lenders, the bloc said.

The European Union was swift to dispatch rescue teams to Türkiye after a massive magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck the country on Monday close to the border with Syria.

But it initially offered only 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 spiralled into a civil war.

On February 8, Damascus made an official plea to the EU for help, the bloc's commissioner for crisis management said.

Now that Damascus has made the move, through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism that coordinates aid, Janez Lenarcic said the commission was asking European countries "to respond favourably to this request."

The participants in the EU mechanism comprise the 27 EU countries plus eight neighbouring non-EU nations that include Norway and Türkiye.

The European Union sent 1,150 rescuers and 70 rescue dogs to Türkiye in the wake of Monday's powerful quakes.

At least 9,057 people were killed and 52,000 others were injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye after two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southern part of the country.

The earthquakes also rocked several neighbouring countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.

Syria, already reeling from a decade-long civil war, has been hit particularly badly with over 2,500 deaths and thousands of others injured.