Blinken pledges more US aid to earthquake-struck Turkey
February 19, 2023
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $100 million (€93 million) in fresh humanitarian aid to Turkey in Syria, almost two weeks after a devastating earthquake killed more than 44,000 people there.
He arrived in Turkey on Sunday to support the quake-hit country and try to unblock Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
Blinken and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, took a helicopter tour to view the damage wrought by the earthquake in Hatay province.
"When you see the extent of the damage, the number of buildings, the number of apartments, the number of homes that have been destroyed, it's going to take a massive effort to rebuild," he said afterward.
The new US aid includes $50 million in emergency refugee and migration funds and $50 million in humanitarian assistance, Blinken said.
"The most important thing right now is to get assistance to people who need it, to get them through the winter and to get them back on their feet," Blinken said.
"We'll stick with it until we get the job done," he vowed.
The additional aid is on top of the $85 million the US promised days after the earthquake. The US has also sent search and rescue teams, medical supplies and equipment.
Uneasy US-Turkey Relations
Blinken's trip had been planned before the earthquake and is his first to the NATO ally since taking office in 2021.
That is in stark contrast with some of his predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and Rex Tillerson, who made the visit within the first three months of their terms.
It shows the strained nature of the relations between the US and Turkey.
Besides talks with Cavusoglu, Blinken was also set to meet Erdogan in Ankara on Monday.
Turkey's refusal to ratify Sweden and Finland's NATO membership applications is likely to be discussed.
Erdogan has complained that the Finns and, more particularly the Swedes, are too lenient toward groups it deems terror organizations or existential threats, including Kurdish groups.
All existing NATO members' legislatures must ratify the entry of any potential new member.
At the same time, Turkey wants to buy more F-16 fighter jets, but the sale is being blocked in Congress due to concerns over Turkey's human rights record and threats to Greece.
Blinken would head to Greece late on Monday, where he will discuss Greek-Turkish tensions.
lo/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)