Danish minister visits Türkiye's quake-hit Hatay

HATAY, Türkiye

Dan Jorgensen, Denmark's minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, visited Türkiye's southern province of Hatay, one of the worst hit by last month's twin earthquakes.

The minister, along with the representatives of the Refugee Council of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Red Cross, first visited Tepehan neighborhood of Altinozu district where the fault lines caused surface ruptures, and met with the residents of the area.

Jorgensen surveyed the collapsed buildings in Hatay's central Antakya district, including the old parliament building.

He also visited the tent city where the Turkish Red Crescent was carrying out activities to provide psychosocial support to the victims.

Jorgensen met with an earthquake survivor family.

Speaking to reporters after the visits, he said: "What I saw today is very sad, this is a truly incredible disaster and of course we need to help the people affected by this disaster.

"On the field, I have seen organizations and institutions and have met local officials who are very brave and determined to help. But of course, the international community also needs to help."

Jorgensen also said that he will share with the government of Denmark about what he saw in Türkiye.

"I will also share this message with my colleagues in the European Union. The Danish government has so far allocated Є10 million of aid to Türkiye.

"These will be used to meet the most acute needs in this region, such as shelter, tents, health kits, food and water... We are working very closely with local authorities, non-governmental organizations to find out what the needs are.

"We will also work in collaboration with our partners in the international community and the European Union to ensure these are met.”

Later in the day, Jorgensen met with Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Deputy Minister Ismail Catakli at the Hatay Disaster Coordination Center.

Danish Ambassador to Ankara Danny Annan and Turkish Foreign Ministry's representative in Hatay, Ambassador Serdar Cengiz accompanied Jorgensen during his visits.

*Writing by Emre Basaran