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Donors pledge €7 billion to Turkey, Syria quake recovery

March 20, 2023

Following an EU-hosted donors conference, the bloc says it will fund humantiarian assistance, but not full-scale reconstruction in Syria.

https://p.dw.com/p/4OxBT
EU Comission chief Ursula von der Leyen talks to Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at Brussels donor conference
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pledged funding for reconstruction in Turkey at a donors conference in BrusselsImage: JOHN THYS/AFP

The European Union and international donors on Monday pledged €7 billion ($7.5 billion) to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquakes.

The quakes killed more than 50,000 people.

The EU said the conference included some 400 international actors, including governments and NGOs. Syrian and Russian authorities were not invited.

What are the details of the pledges?

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said €3.3 billion would come from the 27-member EU. The Commission alone will give €1 billion to help with reconstruction efforts in Turkey.

"Millions are now homeless and living in tents as the winter drags on," von der Leyen said.

"Homes and schools and hospitals must be rebuilt, with the highest standards of seismic safety. Water and sanitation and other critical infrastructure must be repaired," she said. "Public services and businesses need capital to restart."

Von der Leyen said that the European Commission would spend an additional €108 million on humanitarian assistance and early recovery in Syria.

The EU does not have diplomatic ties with Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and has imposed extensive sanctions on Damascus. Brussels said it would not fund full-scale reconstruction as long as there is no political dialogue between Assad and opposition groups.

Syria-Turkey quake survivors urgently need aid

Germany is doubling its support to €240 million, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

Costs estimated at over $100 billion

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimated the "total financial burden" of the earthquakes for Turkey at some $103.6 billion, amounting to around 9% of the country's GDP forecast for 2023.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who addressed the conference via videolink, put the cost at $104 billion.

Erdogan said that Turkey would rebuild 319,000 homes in the first year of recovery.

"It is not possible for a single nation to tackle a crisis of this scale on its own," he said. "We will never forget the solidarity that all our friends... have shown in these difficult days."

sdi/rt (Reuters, AFP)