Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the damage from the earthquake that struck southern Turkey on February 6 was estimated at $104 billion and that no country alone can deal with a disaster of this magnitude, Erdogan said in a speech he delivered yesterday. during his speech. participation via videoconference in the donor conference convened by the European Union to support Turkey and Syria in the fight against the consequences of the earthquake, that the number of uninhabitable buildings in 11 states in the earthquake zone is 298 thousand.
He added: “We will rebuild and rebuild all of our cities destroyed by the earthquake, with their infrastructure and superstructures, as well as their historical and cultural sites.” materials coming from other countries affected by the earthquake in Syria.
Erdogan praised international solidarity, saying, “We will never forget the solidarity shown by all our friends, the European Union, the United Nations and other international organizations during these difficult days.”
In this regard, international donors pledged during the conference to provide seven billion euros to help the people of Turkey and Syria affected by the earthquake, as a result of which material damage is estimated at more than 100 billion euros.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christson, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said: “I am proud to report that we will see significant additional support. The total commitments today amount to seven billion euros.”
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that about 950 million euros will go to the victims in Syria, and most of the promised assistance will be allocated to Turkey, which recorded the biggest losses in the earthquake. resulting in more than 56,000 deaths in two countries.
Von der Leyen welcomed “a good day for international solidarity” but stressed that the conference, which was attended by more than 60 delegations, “is just the beginning”, noting that there will be a donor conference dedicated only to the Syrian people. in Brussels on 14 and 15 June.
