The West blocked post-earthquake aid to Syria for political reasons — Putin – Russian Politics and Diplomacy

SOCHI, 8 November. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his speech at the general assembly of the Valdai Discussion Club, said that humanitarian aid to the Syrian people was blocked by Western countries for political reasons after the devastating earthquake last year.

Putin said, “Situations like the one that emerged after the earthquake in Asia Minor last year are unacceptable. Aid to the Syrian people, where some regions were badly affected by the disaster, was blocked for purely political reasons.” he said.

This was not the only example of, in his words, “egoistic and time-serving interests standing in the way of the public good.”

Earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6, with the epicenter in Kahramanmaraş, hit the country on the morning of February 6, 2023. Following the underground tremors, thousands of aftershocks hit 11 provinces of Turkey and neighboring countries, including Syria. As a result, more than 51,000 people died and more than 105,000 were injured in Turkey alone. The death toll in Syria exceeded 8,400, and more than 14,500 people were injured.