U.S. Secretary of State antony blink Visited one of the provinces worst hit by the February 6 earthquake in the south on a helicopter tour on Sunday turkey and pledged another $100 million in aid to northern Syria and the region.
“This is going to be a long-term effort,” said Blinken, a joint US-Turkish air base that has coordinated the delivery of disaster aid. “The search and rescue, unfortunately, is coming to an end. Recovery continues, and then there will be massive reconstruction work.”
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President Joe Biden announced $85 million in relief for Turkey and Syria after the earthquake, which has killed more than 44,000 people in both countries. The US has also sent a search and rescue team, medical supplies and equipment.
Blinken said the additional assistance included $50 million in emergency refugee and migration funding and $50 million in humanitarian assistance.
The foreign minister is making his first visit to NATO ally Turkey since taking office two years ago. Blinken arrived at the Innerlik Air Base near Adana on Sunday after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
He along with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made an aerial tour of Turkey’s Hatay province. He was expected to meet with American and Turkish service personnel as well as Turkish military families affected by the quake.
“When you look at the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, the number of apartments, the number of homes destroyed, it’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild,” the top US diplomat said after a helicopter tour.
“The most important thing right now is to get aid to the people who need it, to get them through the winter and get them back on their feet,” Blinken said as soldiers near unload boxes of aid Said… we’ll stick with it until we get the job done.
Home of the US Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing, Inserlik has been an important logistics center for aid distribution. Supplies from around the world have been flown into the base and sent by truck and helicopter to those in need, including in hard-to-reach villages.
Blinken is set to fly to the Turkish capital, Ankara, for discussions with Turkish officials on Monday, including an anticipated meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As well as the effects of the quake, Blinken is expected to discuss Sweden and Finland’s efforts to join NATO, which Turkey has delayed.
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