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A man walks among collapsed buildings, a day after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region, in the coastal city of Samandag on February 21, 2023. Photo: AFP
PAZARCIK, Turkey - Germany will double its relief aid in Turkey and Syria with an additional 50 million euros ($53 million) for victims of the deadly earthquake, two ministers announced Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany wants "to make it clear that we, as a global community, see this catastrophe and we support the population".
Baerbock was speaking during a visit Tuesday to Pazarcik, in southern Turkey, along with German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Of the new aid, 33 million euros will go to Turkey and 17 million to northern Syria, bringing Germany's contribution to 108 million euros in the region hit by a deadly earthquake which has killed nearly 46,000.
"We're trying to get as much aid as possible into Syria, especially in the north of this country, through the crossings that have been opened, but the Syrian regime continues to obstruct the efforts of the United Nations," said Baerbock.
Two weeks after the disaster aid has been arriving slowly in northwestern Syria, a country torn apart by a civil war.
The ministers confirmed that three-month visas will be granted to Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims with family in Germany.
According to the German foreign ministry, 96 visas have been issued so far.
Around 2.9 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany. The Syrian community is also large and is estimated at 924,000.
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