7 Feb 2023
The heavy earthquakes of the weekend in the Kurdish border area between Syria and Turkey have claimed nearly 5,000 lives according to information confirmed so far. Several hundred buildings in the affected major cities have been destroyed or are in danger of collapse. Several thousand people are still missing under the destruction.
The FIR expresses its deep sympathy and solidarity with the people in the disaster region. It is important that comprehensive humanitarian aid is now provided to both sides. We welcome expressly the employment of disaster aids from all European countries. Aid has already been pledged from Asia as well.
In the interests of the people, the vast majority of whom are Kurds living here, we must not allow political reservations to prevent such assistance from reaching only part of the devastated areas. Humanitarian aid must be cross-border – that is the solidarity that is needed today.
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