US pledges further $100m aid to Turkiye, as Ankara urges the lifting of sanctions

The United States has pledged a further $100 million in aid to Turkiye following the deadly earthquakes which have struck the country’s south-east – along with north-west Syria – over the past two weeks.

In a visit by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Turkiye yesterday, he met with Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusiglu at Incirlik airbase and reviewed the damage to cities in the south-east caused by the devastating 7.8 magnitude quake on 6 February and the multiple aftershocks, which killed over 45,000 people.

After flying together in a helicopter for an aerial view over the affected Hatay province, the epicentre of the first quake, the two officials convened a news conference at the Presidential Complex in the capital, Ankara, during which Blinken stated that the US government responded “within hours” to the catastrophe and sent relief supplies and hundreds of personnel.

Profoundly saddened to see firsthand the devastation of the earthquakes in #Türkiye. The United States remains committed to doing everything we can to help with rescue, relief, and recovery efforts. @USEmbassyTurkey @usaidsaveslives pic.twitter.com/bc3D7LpgVO

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 19, 2023

“We have nearly $80 million in donations from the private sector in the United States, [from] individuals. When I visited the Turkish Embassy in Washington, I almost couldn’t get in the front door because boxes were piled high throughout the driveway to the embassy,” he said.

Blinken announced that new aid “will be moving soon. Sadly, it’s less about search and rescue but long-term recovery. This is going to be a long-term effort”. After two weeks of search and rescue operations saving thousands of survivors from under the collapsed buildings and rubble, often in miraculous circumstances of survival, the likelihood of finding new survivors is extremely low, with Turkiye halting rescue efforts as none were found over the past two days.

READ: Turkiye earthquake could result in loss of up to 1% of country’s GDP in 2023

Much of the effort will now be focused on the reconstruction process, Blinken and Cavusoglu indicated, with the American official saying “It’s going to take a massive effort to rebuild but we’re committed to supporting that effort.” That support now adds up to a total of $185 million, he clarified.

The Turkish Foreign Minister welcomed the assistance, stating that “I would like to thank them [the US] for not leaving us alone during these challenging times.” He also highlighted Washington and Ankara’s positive agenda and progress with regards to the economy and trade, as well as military relations and counter-terrorism efforts.

A key issue that Cavusoglu brought up, however, was Turkiye’s expectation for the US to lift unilateral sanctions on the country at the earliest possible opportunity, which were imposed over the past four years due a number of issues, including Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system and the Turkish military operations in northern Syria.

In that same note on the lifting of sanctions, Cavusoglu informed Blinken that the government also expects the US to send a formal notification to Congress regarding the sale and deployment of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye, emphasising that the deal would be beneficial to both sides.

READ: The US is pushing Turkey into Russia’s arms