Turkey earthquake: Blinken pledges $100M in aid amid visit – National | 24CA News
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a helicopter tour Sunday of one of many provinces worst-affected by the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria and pledged an extra $100 million in help to assist the area.
“This is going to be a long-term effort,” Blinken mentioned at Incirlik Air Base, a joint U.S.-Turkish facility that has coordinated the distribution of catastrophe help. “The search and rescue, unfortunately, is coming to an end. The recovery is on, and then there will be a massive rebuilding operation.”
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President Joe Biden introduced $85 million for Turkey and Syria days after the earthquake that has killed greater than 44,000 folks within the two international locations. The U.S. has additionally despatched a search and rescue crew, medical provides and tools.
The further help contains $50 million in emergency refugee and migration funds and $50 million in humanitarian help, Blinken mentioned.
The secretary of state is making his first journey to NATO ally Turkey since he took workplace two years in the past. Blinken arrived at Incirlik Air Base, close to Adana, on Sunday after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
He toured Turkey’s toured Hatay province from the air with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. He was anticipated to satisfy with U.S. and Turkish service personnel, in addition to Turkish navy households affected by the earthquake.
“When you see the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, the number of apartments, the number of homes that have been destroyed, it’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild,” the highest U.S. diplomat mentioned after the helicopter tour.
“The most important thing right now is to get assistance to people who need it, to get them through the winter and to get them back on their feet,” Blinken mentioned as troops close by unloaded packing containers of help… We’ll keep it up till we get the job carried out.”
Incirlik, residence to the U.S. Air Force’s thirty ninth Air Base Wing, has been a vital logistics middle for help distribution. Supplies from world wide have been flown into the bottom and despatched by truck and helicopter to these in want, together with in tough to achieve villages.
Blinken is ready to fly to Ankara, Turkey’s capital, later Sunday for discussions with Turkish officers on Monday, together with an anticipated assembly with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As properly as the results of the earthquake, Blinken is anticipated to debate Sweden and Finland’s efforts to hitch NATO, which Turkey has delayed.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
