US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center left) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (center right) walk after stepping off a helicopter in which they flew over earthquake-affected areas in the Turkish province of Hatay on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured one of the provinces hardest hit by the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria by helicopter on Sunday, promising a additional aid of $100 million for the region.

“It will be a long-term effort,” Blinken said at Incirlik Air Base, a joint U.S.-Turkish facility that coordinated the distribution of disaster relief. “Search and rescue, unfortunately, is coming to an end. The recovery is underway and then there will be a massive reconstruction operation,” he added.

US President Joe Biden announced $85 million for Turkey and Syria days after an earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in the two countries. The United States also sent a search and rescue team, supplies and medical equipment.

The additional aid includes $50 million in emergency funds for refugees and migrants and $50 million in humanitarian assistance, Blinken said.

The Secretary of State is making his first trip to NATO ally Turkey since taking office two years ago. Blinken arrived at Incirlik Air Base near Adana on Sunday after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

He visited the Turkish province of Hatay by helicopter, accompanied by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Blinken was later to meet with American and Turkish military personnel, as well as families of Turkish military personnel affected by the earthquake.

“When you see the extent of the damage, the amount of construction, the number of apartments, the number of houses that have been destroyed, it is clear that the reconstruction will require a great effort,” said the senior American diplomat after the tour. in a helicopter.

Categorized in:

World

Tagged in:

, , ,