Relentless aid from the United Arab Emirates sustains optimism in Turkey and Syria
The earthquake two Mondays ago did not only topple hundreds of buildings previously marred by the war in Syria. It also stirred the conscience of its Arab neighbours, some of whom had been excluding Bashar al-Assad for 12 years. For the first time since 2011, a Saudi plane carrying tons of aid landed in Aleppo. For the first time since then, a Jordanian Foreign Minister arrived in Damascus. Not long before that, his Emirati counterpart did so again. Indeed, the UAE is leading the process of thawing relations with the Syrian regime. Abu Dhabi offered $100 million - a quarter of what the United Nations is asking for - and actually deployed humanitarian airlifts.
Even Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Bashar al-Assad for the first time. The latter, meanwhile, agreed on Tuesday that UN aid could enter the part of Syria he does not control through three border crossings instead of one. On the other side, in Idlib province, the Syria that lost the war is seething, with its displaced people, its Sunni extremists in the al-Qaeda orbit, its women in black from head to toe and its white helmets. A representation of this rescue service was congratulated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the NATO base at Incirlik on his first visit to Turkey.
In his first televised message after the quake on Thursday, Hafez al-Assad's heir apparent admitted that "the scale of the disaster is beyond available resources". But he offered "an opportunity" to address "accumulated problems" such as sanctions. In fact, Washington had already said it would allow transactions for humanitarian purposes for three months. Even in "rebel" Syria it was admitted these days that the current political limbo has made rescue operations difficult. Not to mention the anomaly that the two countries united by the catastrophe, Syria and Turkey, do not maintain relations. The fact is that Syria's fragmentation and prostration, prolonged by third parties and by al-Assad's own rejection of political negotiation, has cost lives.
It is in this situation that the UAE's support is best appreciated. A total of 76 cargo planes carrying 2,535 tonnes of relief goods have flown into Syria, while 42 planes carrying 840 tonnes of aid have arrived in Turkey, bringing the total number of flights carrying 3,375 tonnes of food, medical supplies and tents as part of the operation to date to 118. Using top-notch search tools and equipment, UAE rescue teams continue their mission to save those trapped under the wreckage.
In addition, the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Field Hospital in Reyhanlı district, Hatay province, Turkey, was built and began receiving the injured after the earthquake that struck the country recently, as part of Operation Chivalric Knight / 2. Saeed Thani Hareb al-Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Turkey, attended the inauguration of the hospital along with a number of Turkish officials in the presence of Brigade Staff Dr Sarhan al-Neyadi, Commander of the UAE Ministry of Defence Medical Services Corps. The hospital has 200 beds, in addition to 20 intensive care beds, two fully equipped operating theatres, two intensive care wards, laboratories and a pharmacy.
Likewise, the aid that Syria received arrived later and in smaller quantities than many other donors to Turkey. However, dozens of planes were sent to Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia via friendly countries such as Russia, Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Armenia, India, Bangladesh and Venezuela. Paradoxically, while the earthquake killed 6,000 people in Syria, many more Syrians died or were trapped in Turkey. Ankara is now allowing the surviving refugees to return home, promising to receive them within three months. Thousands of Syrians have thus crossed the border without gaining asylum in Turkey. Although 2,000 feet first, to be buried.
Ambassador Al-Dhaheri said the hospital was opened at the direction of the UAE leadership to ease the pain of the people affected by the earthquake. He noted that the hospital, built in record time, demonstrates the UAE's focus and enthusiasm to provide medical care to those affected by the earthquake, while noting that the Arab regime is working with the Turkish authorities to assess and determine the necessary requirements for these people. The hospital was built in just five days and is run by a team of Emirati experts from all fields.
It is the second hospital to open from the Gulf country after the opening of the Emirates Relief Hospital in the Islahiye district of Gaziantep on 13 February, which provides basic diagnosis and treatment for land animal victims. The humanitarian and medical assistance is part of the emergency response following the earthquake that devastated Syria and Turkey. Spanning 40,000 square metres, the hospital has 50 beds and four intensive care beds and has performed three major surgeries as it continues its humanitarian work to ease the pain of earthquake victims. The UAE İslahiye Field Hospital in Gaziantep, Turkey, provided emergency medical and psychological support to 174 victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
