The scale of the deadly earthquake that devastated south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February has prompted sympathy and solidarity from the EU27 heads of state and government, who are determined to step up their assistance to vulnerable populations.
Their extraordinary summit, mainly dedicated to Ukraine, the economy and migration, began on Thursday 9 February in Brussels with a minute’s silence for the victims of the earthquake.
“The European Council extends its deepest condolences to the victims and stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and Syria”, says the text of the conclusions unveiled before the end of the summit, which describes the earthquake as a “tragedy”.
The European Council underlines that the more than 1,600 rescue workers immediately deployed to Turkey when it asked for EU assistance are evidence of “the Union’s unwavering solidarity”. In the meantime, the aid has been increasing (see EUROPE 13116/1).
It confirms that the EU is ready to provide more assistance “to alleviate the suffering in all affected regions”.
A donor conference in March. The European Council “welcomes the initiative of the Swedish Presidency to host a donor conference to mobilise funds from the international community in support of the people of Turkey and Syria in Brussels in March”, as announced the day before by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (see EUROPE 13117/12 and related articles in this news bulletin).
The conference, which will be co-chaired by the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and the Swedish Minister for International Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forsell, will be organised in coordination with the Turkish authorities.
A letter to President Erdoğan. On Thursday, the EU27 leaders sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to express their condolences and relay their message of solidarity. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the dramatic consequences of this disaster”, they wrote.
Not surprisingly, the European Council treats the Turkish and Syrian authorities differently.
A call to ensure humanitarian access in Syria. On Syria, the European Council calls on all parties “to ensure humanitarian access to the victims of the earthquake, irrespective of where they are”.
Stressing that the EU and its Member States have mobilised additional funding to support humanitarian efforts, it called on humanitarian partners to deliver aid quickly under UN leadership. 3.5 million euros in initial emergency aid was released the day before (see EUROPE 13117/4).
As soon as they arrived at the summit, the leaders expressed their sadness and solidarity.
“It is our obligation to save our neighbours. This is a time to leave aside our political differences and to offer a hand of friendship to the Turkish people, to the Syrian people, who are suffering a horrible catastrophe”, stressed, for example, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Recalling that his country was the first to send a rescue team to Turkey and that the deployment of five humanitarian aircraft is underway, he added: “I can’t think of a stronger message than a Greek and a Turkish rescue worker working together to save a little Turkish girl”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “Europe sympathises with the victims”. He spoke of “a significant contribution from Germany”, the need to deliver aid quickly and to “do everything to rebuild what has been destroyed “.
“What happened is a nightmare: more than 15,000 people died, it’s terrible”, said Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
“From the bottom of my heart, I would like to express my condolences to President Erdoğan. Because this is a huge challenge. Lithuania is of course ready to support, together with other countries, by all means, the country that suffered this terrible earthquake”, assured the Lithuanian President, Gitanas Nauséda.
Link to the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/5ai " href="https://aeur.eu/f/5ai " target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://aeur.eu/f/5ai (Original version in French by Aminata Niang with the editorial staff)