Turkey is expected to open two more border crossings with Syria to allow humanitarian aid to its earthquake-stricken neighbor, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Cavusoglu spoke about the damage on the Syrian side of the road leading to the Chilvegochu border gate, which is open exclusively to humanitarian aid under his mandate. United Nations Security Councilmakes it difficult to respond to earthquakes.

“There are some difficulties in helping Turkey and the international community to connect with Syria. For this reason, efforts are being made to open two more border gates,” Cavusoglu said.

EU: €6.5 million emergency humanitarian aid

The EU will provide Turkey and Syria with €6.5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Commission announced today.

For Syria, the Commission has announced an initial phase of €3.5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. This amount covers access to housing, water and sanitation for people in need, as well as the provision of various medical supplies and support for search and rescue operations.

This morning the Syrian authorities requested the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, including search and rescue teams, access to housing and medicines. The EU Emergency Response Coordination Center is in contact with EU Member States and the UN to direct aid directly to the people most in need in Syria. In addition, EU humanitarian partners in Syria, NGOs and UN agencies are supporting affected medical facilities with medical kits, providing food and shelter, and repairing damaged infrastructure.

For Turkey, the Commission announced an initial assistance of 3 million euros. This amount is in addition to the 31 search and rescue teams and 5 medical teams offered by the 20 EU Member States, as well as Albania, Montenegro and Serbia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The teams include more than 1500 rescuers and 100 search and rescue dogs.

In addition, today Turkey requested emergency supplies through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, while Germany, Lithuania and Slovenia have already offered blankets, tents and heaters.

The Commission notes that this is one of the largest EU search and rescue operations ever carried out under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Tomorrow Thursday, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janes Lenarcic is due to visit the affected areas of Turkey as part of the coordination of the EU response.