Turkey earthquake: more than 350,000 pregnant women in dire need of help as rescue work winds down
- US Secretary of State Blinken pledged long-term aid for Ankara as rescue work wound down after the February 6 earthquakes killed more than 46,000 people in Turkey and Syria
- The UN said many pregnant women are living exposed to freezing temperatures and struggling to get food or clean water
The United States has sent a search and rescue team to Turkey, along with medical supplies, concrete-breaking machinery and additional funding of US$85 million in humanitarian aid that also covers Syria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said there was no need to wait for a disaster and difficult times to improve relations with the US, speaking after talks with Blinken.
Cavusoglu, alongside Blinken, told a news conference that it was not possible for Turkey to buy US F-16 warplanes with preconditions and that he believed the issue can be overcome if the US administration maintains a decisive stance.
“The United States and Turkey do not agree on every issue but it is a partnership that has withstood against challenges,” Blinken told a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.
Total US humanitarian assistance to support the earthquake response in Turkey and Syria has reached US$185 million, the US State Department has said.
