The German Foreign and Interior Ministries confirmed Saturday that earthquake victims in Turkey will have the opportunity to stay temporarily with relatives living in Germany.
«As the German government, we want to help ensure that families in Germany can temporarily take in relatives affected by the earthquake if they no longer have a roof over their heads or are in need of medical treatment,» German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said via Twitter.
Berlin will thus be ready to provide aid to those affected by the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria a week ago and has left at least 28,000 people dead, according to the latest estimates.
Tens of thousands of people have Turkish roots in Germany, with Turks being the largest immigrant group in the country, due to the guest worker policy adopted by the German government in the 1950s.
The two ministries have set up a working group that will begin work this weekend. «The aim is to make the visa process for these cases as unbureaucratic as possible,» the minister stressed.
«This is about helping in case of an emergency. We want to make it possible for Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring close relatives from the disaster region to join them without red tape,» German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, according to German news agency DPA.
This would be done through ordinary visas, which will be issued more quickly and will be valid for three months.
«In the midst of the grief and dismay over the thousands of deaths following the earthquake, a ray of hope for me is the enormous commitment of hundreds of thousands of people in our country who not only show solidarity, but who are standing up and finding ways to help,» said Baerbock, while also showing solidarity to those living in Germany with relatives in Turkey.
The accelerated and priority visas are intended to benefit people who have been particularly affected individually by the catastrophe, who may be in danger of becoming homeless or who have suffered injuries that require treatment, the agency has learned.
Thus, the plan is intended for earthquake victims who wish to seek refuge in Germany and stay with first- or second-degree relatives who are German citizens or have a permanent residence permit.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
