EU says priority is to help thousands affected by quakes in Türkiye, Syria

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU’s priority is to help people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.

The meeting of EU foreign ministers started “with a minute of silence to pay tribute to the almost 40,000 victims of the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria,” Borrell said at a news conference.

“The priority of the European Union and its member states is to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected in both countries,” he said.

Borrell reassured the Turkish and Syrian people of the bloc’s “unwavering solidarity,” stressing that the EU will seek to fulfill “all the needs that we can.”

- Ukraine war

Borrell asserted that the upcoming weeks will be crucial for the war in Ukraine, and called on all EU countries to “rapidly supply” ammunition to Kyiv.

He said they should be “prioritizing Ukraine’s needs” instead of replenishing their stockpiles.

The EU ministers also discussed the 10th sanctions package against Russia, which is expected to impose new trade bans and technology export controls, as well as target individuals responsible for military activities, political decisions, propaganda, and disinformation.

Borrell confirmed that EU countries will approve the measures before the war’s first anniversary on Feb. 24.

He also urged “all countries in the world” to pressure Russia to extend the UN- and Türkiye-facilitated Black Sea initiative for grain exports, warning that failure to do so could spark another global food crisis.