US Calls for Aid to Syria After Earthquake

The United States has urged the global community not to send aid to Syria by normalizing relations with the Syrian authorities, said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

The US is assisting Syrians through friendly NGOs. “We believe that we and all countries in the world can simultaneously meet two imperatives: to address the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people without normalizing or raising the level of relations with (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's regime,” Price stated in a press briefing.

The powerful earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey on February 6 has impacted neighboring Syria, where, according to official data, the number of casualties has exceeded 1,400, and nearly 2,500 people have been injured.