Only nine EU nations help with Syria's humanitarian catastrophe
Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels
Lives have been saved in Turkey following recent earthquakes because the country had access to heavy lifting machinery. Experts say many lives were lost in Syria because sanctions prevented the country from having similar equipment. The catastrophe has just been debated in the European Parliament.
European Commission officials told legislators that just nine of the EU's 27 member states have supplied Syria with support. Twenty-one have scrambled to help Turkey.
This 3.5 million euros for Syrians pales into insignificance when compared to the 67 billion euros spent by the EU on Ukraine during the past eleven months. Experts have been saying for years that the bloc lacks unity when it comes to Syria.
Efforts by Western nations to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have failed. Critics say interventionism has brought misery to millions of innocent people in the country. Some lawmakers want the pressure to be paused.
It's been announced the EU will host a donors summit next month to gather money for the earthquake-hit regions.
Political commentators are claiming it's already obvious that the vast majority of the money raised will go to Turkey, not Syria.
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