EU raises $7.5 billion for Turkey, Syria earthquake victims
Erdogan tells donors that Turkey will continue to facilitate the land and air transfer of humanitarian aid materials from third parties and other countries to the quake victims in Syria.
IZMIR, Turkey — The International Donors’ Conference in Brussels pledged on Monday nearly $7.5 billion for reconstruction for the earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey, as the death toll reached more than 50,000 in Turkey alone.
Swedish Premier Ulf Kristersson, whose country holds the rotating term presidency of the European Union, said today that the fundraiser has "reached its goal” by providing €6.05 billion ($6.48 billion) in grants and loans for Turkey and €950 million ($1.018 billion) in grants for Syria.
One billion of the aid alone comes directly from the European Commission, pledged by EC President Ursula von der Leyen as she kicked off the EU-sponsored event in Brussels. “I am pleased to announce that the European Commission alone will support Turkey with 1 billion euros ($1.072 billion) for the post-earthquake reconstruction. We also pledge a further package of 108 million euros ($115.7 million) for humanitarian assistance and early recovery in Syria,” von der Leyen told participants that included EU member states, UN institutions, international financing bodies, India, Japan, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Six hours later, von der Leyen announced that “Team Europe” — meaning the EC, the European Investment Bank, and the European Reconstruction and Development Bank — had raised 3.6 billion euros ($3.8 billion), half of the total donations. The total sum includes grants, loans or, in the case of Hungary, funding the renovations of a specific church. EU member Cyprus, which is not recognized by Turkey, also attended the conference and pledged 500,000 euros ($533,200) to Turkey and Syria.
