European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Wednesday a donors’ conference for Turkey and Syria for early March, an initiative by which the international community will pledge funds to help Turkey and Syria following Monday’s powerful earthquake that left thousands dead in both countries.
«We are in a race against time to save lives. We will soon give emergency aid together. Turkey and Syria counts on the European Union,» said the head of the European Executive in a message on Twitter in which she announced the organization of the initiative together with Sweden, the country that holds the six-month presidency of the EU.
Without confirming the exact date on which the initiative will take place, Von der Leyen has stressed that the donors’ conference will be in early March in Brussels. «Let’s mobilize funds globally for the affected communities,» she urged.
The announcement comes at a time when the EU-27 are working to deploy search and rescue teams to save survivors buried under the rubble. The European Commission has announced an initial ¤6.5 million in emergency assistance for Turkey and Syria to boost the response to Monday’s disaster.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)