Earthquake in Turkey and Syria | Blinken visiting Turkey, stopping most research

(Antakya) The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken went to Turkey on Sunday to follow the humanitarian effort and announce one hundred million dollars in additional aid, 14 days after the deadly earthquake of February 6, for which Ankara announced stop the majority of searches.

“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 massive effort to rebuild and we are committed to supporting this effort,” said said Mr. Blinken, who flew in a helicopter over the devastated province of Hatay, in the south-east of the country.

“We are adding $100 million to help those in desperate need,” he said.

The United States deployed the day after the earthquake, which also struck northern Syria, several search and rescue teams in Turkey, approximately 200 people, and released a first tranche of $85 million in humanitarian aid.

Antony Blinken visited the Incirlik airbase in the south-east of the country, where he stopped between Munich and Ankara, for a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan scheduled before the earthquake.

It is from this base of Incirlik that part of the humanitarian aid, in particular American, is routed to the areas stricken by the earthquake, which is the worst disaster for contemporary Turkey which, according to a latest assessment, 40,689 deaths in this country alone.

The Secretary of State also met in Turkey with representatives of the White Helmets Syrian rescue group, which operates in rebel-held areas in Syria.

After this meeting, the head of US diplomacy tweeted: “Honored to meet with Syrian civil defense representatives today in Turkey. Thank you for your heroic efforts to save Syrians after the earthquake. The United States is proud to stand with you and other organizations providing vital assistance in response to this tragedy. »

Farouk Habib, deputy director of the White Helmets, expressed to Mr. Blinken his appreciation for the American support after the quake, while Mr. Blinken offered his condolences and praised the “heroic efforts” of the rescuers, the White Helmets posted on Twitter.

First trip to Turkey

This is the US Secretary of State’s first trip to Turkey since taking office two years ago.

The two countries, allies in NATO, maintain sometimes tumultuous relations. Turkey describes in particular as “terrorist” the Syrian Kurds of the YPG (People’s Protection Units), spearhead of the fight, supported by an international coalition led by Washington, against the jihadists of the Islamic State.

Litigation also includes the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets promised by President Joe Biden to Turkey but which remains blocked by congressional opposition, and the Turkish blocking of the accession of Finland and the Sweden to NATO.

But the United States recognizes that their ally has a constructive role, particularly with regard to the war in Ukraine.

After Turkey, Mr. Blinken will complete his European tour in Athens where he will have a series of meetings on Monday evening and Tuesday with the authorities of this country, Turkey’s historic rival but also a partner in NATO.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday that the earthquake “could be an opportunity” to redefine the hitherto stormy relations between Ankara and Athens, which was one of the very first European countries to dispatch teams of rescuers.

Almost the end of the search

Turkey announced on Sunday to stop the majority of research.

“In many provinces the search efforts are over. They are continuing in the provinces of Kahramanmaras and Hatay, in around forty buildings,” said Yunus Sezer, head of the government relief agency (Afad).

In addition to the more than 265,000 Turkish rescue workers, nearly 11,500 rescuers from abroad have joined the search and rescue efforts, according to the Foreign Ministry.

This earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 which devastated the south of the country and Syria killed nearly 45,000 people, including 40,689 dead in Turkey, according to the latest official report communicated by Afad on Sunday.

No new survivors have been cleared from the ruins for more than 24 hours after the rescue of a couple in Antakya, capital of Hatay province, on Saturday, 296 hours after the quake.

In the past three days, seven people have been pulled alive from the rubble, all in Antakya, including the couple’s child, who died shortly after being rescued.

“My cousin still hasn’t been found under the rubble. The research work must continue, at least his body must be found,” laments Husseyin Yavuz, bearded and with a scarred face, sitting in front of a brazier with a group of relatives of victims in Antakya, a city martyred by the earthquake.

Christian Atsu’s body repatriated to Ghana

The body of soccer player Christian Atsu, who died in the earthquake in Turkey, will be repatriated to Ghana on Sunday, the country’s foreign ministry said.

Atsu lost his life aged 31 in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6.

After two weeks of searching, his body was found on Saturday in the rubble of the building where he lived in Antakya. The player’s brother and sister were present at the scene at the time of the macabre discovery.

“The mortal remains will be accompanied by his family and the Ghanaian Ambassador to Turkey on board a Turkish Airlines flight which will arrive in Accra at 7:40 p.m.,” the ministry said.

Atsu’s widow, Marie-Claire Rupio, and their three children attended a tribute to the player at Newcastle, one of his former clubs, on Saturday ahead of a Premier League game against Liverpool.

The Ghanaian international striker had also played for Porto and Chelsea in particular before signing for Hatayspor in Turkey in 2022. He had played his last match for this club the day before the earthquake.