Read-out of the call between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Türkiye

In a phone call on Sunday 12 February, President Ursula von der Leyen conveyed to the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan her deepest condolences and those of the European Union for the catastrophic loss of life and destruction caused by the recent earthquake, and discussed next steps in our support for Türkiye.

From the first moment, the European Commission has been by the side of the Turkish people with wide ranging support provided very rapidly following the devastating earthquake. The EU has already made available significant support to Türkiye through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism:

o 21 EU Member States and three UCPM Participating States offered 38 response teams, consisting of 1 651 persons and 106 search and rescue dogs.

o 12 EU Member States have provided shelter items (50 000 family winter tents, 100 000 blankets and 50 000 heaters).

o The Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre has mobilised 500 Relief Housing Units from the rescEU reserve (hosted by Sweden), as well as 2 000 tents and 8 000 beds hosted by Romania to be deployed to Türkiye.

o An EU Civil Protection team of 11 experts has deployed to support the local and national authorities with the coordination of incoming EU assistance.

Commissioner Lenarčič visited Gaziantep (South-East Türkiye) to witness the impact of the devastating earthquake and to ascertain how the EU can further step up its relief operations in Türkiye.

President von der Leyen informed President Erdogan that the Commission will mobilise additional support and respond to Türkiye‘a latest request for more shelter capacity – in particular tents, blankets, heaters. The Commission is also mobilising the private sector to increase the capacity to deliver the necessary support as rapidly as possible.

Beyond rapid emergency assistance, President von der Leyen will host a Donor’s Conference, together with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, to mobilise funds from the international community in support for the people of Türkiye and Syria. The conference will be organised in coordination with the Turkish authorities, and it will take place in Brussels in March.