Türkiye says offers to open 2 border gates with Syria for quake aid delivery

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye has offered to open two border crossings with Syria for the international community to send humanitarian aid to the quake-hit northern regions, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

“We told the international community and the UN that they could send humanitarian aid through the two gates under our control. We said that we can open these gates to humanitarian aid,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Mangoush in the capital Ankara.

The top diplomat was referring to the two border gates in the southern Kilis province.

He, however, added: “It is out of question for Türkiye to open border crossings in places (in Syria) controlled by the PKK and YPG.”

Cavusoglu denied the allegations that there was an influx of refugees from Syria to Türkiye after last Monday’s powerful twin earthquakes.

"Türkiye may open its airspace if Belgium or other European countries want to take Syrian refugees to their own countries," he added.

At least 31,643 people were killed by the back-to-back earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed above 3,500, with more than 5,200 people wounded.