P.A. Turkey

Turkey to collaborate with international community in healing process, says FM

Türkiye will use own resources and pledges from the international community to heal the wounds of the devastating earthquakes, the top Turkish diplomat has said, stressing that the works have already started on how to coordinate all the assistance from the U.N., European Union and other countries and institutions.

“In the end, we will heal these wounds altogether. We will overcome this disaster with our own resources as well as the support of the international community, and friendly nations,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said at a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib late on Feb. 23.

Acknowledging significant assistance and support from the international community in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes on Feb. 6, Çavuşoğlu said the U.N. has activated an urgent call mechanism and demanded $1 billion worth assistance for the first three months.

“Since yesterday, we observe that some countries have already contributed to that. We are working with the U.N. on how to use the contribution coming from the U.N.,” he said.

Çavuşoğlu underlined that EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi paid a visit to Ankara for coordinating the upcoming donors’ conference to be held in Brussels on March 16. “We are now working with the EU in coordination with our institutions to determine where to use this fund. We are giving our utmost support,” he said.