Washington
Act Daily News
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday introduced $100 million in catastrophe aid help for Turkey and Syria because the international locations grapple with the aftermath of a strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has killed at the least 46,000 folks.
The prime US diplomat, who took a helicopter tour Sunday of among the hardest-hit areas alongside Turkish overseas minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, later informed reporters at Incirlik Air Base that it was “really hard to put into words” the devastation he noticed throughout the tour however mentioned, “We are here to stand with the people of Turkey and Syria.”
The new spherical of funding contains $50 million beneath the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Funds for emergency response efforts and an extra $50 million in humanitarian help by means of the State Department and USAID, in response to the State Department.
The newest funding brings the entire American help to $185 million. Private US nongovernmental organizations have already contributed one other $66 million to response efforts to date, in response to a reality sheet offered by the State Department.
“Immediately after the earthquake hit, the United States and other countries jumped in,” Blinken mentioned.
Efforts to retrieve survivors have been hampered by a chilly winter spell throughout quake-stricken areas, whereas authorities grapple with the logistical challenges of transporting help into northwestern Syria amid an acute humanitarian disaster compounded by years of political strife.
Blinken acknowledged that aid efforts in Syria have been “very, very challenging” however vowed, “We’ll do everything we can, including making sure, for example, there’s absolutely no doubt that whatever sanctions against Syria do not affect the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
“They never have, but we’re going to make sure that we clear up any doubts about that so that anyone who’s able to can make sure they’re helping out in getting the aid to the folks who need it in Syria,” he mentioned.
Blinken famous that the rescue effort is “unfortunately is coming to an end.”
“It’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild, but we’re committed to supporting Turkey in that effort,” he mentioned.
“The most important thing right now is to get assistance to people who need it to get them through the winter and get them back on their feet,” he added.
Source: www.cnn.com