EU to hold donor conference for Türkiye, Syria after quakes

The European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen announced Wednesday 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 Monday.

"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 massive magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck the country on Monday close to the border with Syria.

On Wednesday, 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 neighboring non-EU nations that include Norway and Türkiye.