US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sit in a helicopter for a tour of earthquake-affected areas in Turkey on Sunday.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/AP
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Clodagh Kilcoyne/AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sit in a helicopter for a tour of earthquake-affected areas in Turkey on Sunday.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/AP
ISTANBUL – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday conducted a helicopter tour of one of the provinces most affected by the February 6 earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria and promised a additional aid of $100 million to help the region.
“It’s going to be a long-term effort,” Blinken said at Incirlik Air Base, a joint U.S.-Turkish facility that coordinated the distribution of disaster relief. “Search and rescue, unfortunately, is coming to an end. Recovery is underway, and then there will be a massive rebuilding operation.”
President Joe Biden announced $85 million for Turkey and Syria days after an earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in the two countries. The United States also sent a search and rescue team, medical supplies and equipment.
The additional aid includes $50 million in emergency funds for refugees and migrants and $50 million in humanitarian assistance, Blinken said.
The Secretary of State is making his first trip to NATO ally Turkey since taking office two years ago. Blinken arrived at Incirlik Air Base near Adana on Sunday after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
He visited the Turkish province of Hatay from the air with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. He was to meet with American and Turkish military personnel, as well as families of Turkish military personnel affected by the earthquake.
Soldiers load aid onto a vehicle as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey on Sunday.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool via AP
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Clodagh Kilcoyne/Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool via AP
Soldiers load aid onto a vehicle as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey on Sunday.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/Clodagh Kilcoyne/Pool via AP
“When you see the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, the number of apartments, the number of houses that have been destroyed, it will take a colossal effort to rebuild,” said the head of American diplomacy after the helicopter tour.
“The most important thing right now is getting help to people who need it, getting them through the winter and getting them back on their feet,” Blinken said as nearby troops unloaded supplies. help boxes. “We will continue until we have done the job.”
Incirlik, home to the US Air Force Base’s 39th Wing, has been a crucial logistics hub for aid distribution. Supplies from around the world were flown to the base and sent by truck and helicopter to those in need, including in hard-to-reach villages.
Blinken is expected to fly to Ankara, the Turkish capital, later on Sunday for talks with Turkish officials on Monday, including a scheduled meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Besides the effects of the earthquake, Blinken is expected to discuss Sweden’s and Finland’s efforts to join NATO, which Turkey has delayed.
npr
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