SOCHI, November 8. /TASS/. Humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria in the wake of last year’s devastating earthquake was blocked by Western nations for political reasons, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club.
"Situations similar to the one that unfolded after last year’s earthquake in Asia Minor, are unacceptable. Assistance to the people of Syria, where some areas were badly affected by the disaster, was blocked for purely political reasons," Putin said.
In his words, it was not the only example of "egoistic and timeserving interests standing in the way of the common good."
Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes with an epicenter in the province of Kahramanmaras struck the country on the morning of February 6, 2023. Underground tremors, followed by thousands of aftershocks, hit 11 Turkish provinces and neighboring countries, including Syria. As a result, over 51,000 people were killed and more than 105,000 injured in Turkey alone. In Syria, the death toll exceeded 8,400 with over 14,500 people wounded.