An international donors' conference to support the victims of earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye convened in Brussels today under the auspices of the European Union (EU) in cooperation with the Kingdom of Sweden, the rotating president of the EU, and international partners, aiming to solicit financial and material aid to people affected by the devastating February 6 earthquakes in the two countries. Participants included the member countries of the European Union (EU), the Group of Twenty (G20), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and several international and European humanitarian and financial institutions and organizations. Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, an Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), led the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's delegation, which also includes Haifa Al-Judaie, Head of Saudi Arabia's diplomatic mission to the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Addressing the world gathering, Dr. Al-Rabeeah conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince, extending their appreciation for the efforts being exerted by the government of the Kingdom of Sweden and the EU for organizing this important conference which aspires to mobilize the efforts of the world community to provide necessary support to enable the victims of the devastating earthquakes to recover. He paid tribute to the field teams working to mitigate the repercussions of the earthquake, and expressed sadness to see floods exacerbating the humanitarian situation last Wednesday in Türkiye. Throughout its history, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has managed to swiftly respond to natural disasters and crises through offering humanitarian aid, qualifying it as top of the world humanitarian providers regardless of religious, racial, national, or political factors, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said. Since the earthquakes struck Syria and Turkiye, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince have issued royal orders to organize an airlift and dispatch rescue teams, including medical and relief emergency crews, to help the needy in the two quake-hit countries, led by Riyadh-based KSrelief, Civil Defense, and Saudi Red Crescent, said Al-Rabeeah. He added that the Royal Order also launched a popular fund-raising campaign which together with the government donation garnered $150 million to fund an airlift of 16 relief sorties carrying relief, food, and health supplies. KSrelief seeks to establish 6,000 temporary homes, evenly split in both countries, and construct a number of food, health and relief projects worth $73.3 million in partnership with global and local organizations.
