EU says it is ready to support emergency response efforts.

On Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed the European Union’s solidarity with Venezuela following the two earthquakes that struck the South American country. “I am thinking especially of the victims and their families. We stand with you,” she said.

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“We are monitoring the situation with our staff and partners on the ground. EU-funded partners are already providing assistance in the field. Copernicus has been activated,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib.

European Council President Antonio Costa also commented on the earthquakes on social media and said that the news from Venezuela was “deeply devastating.”

He expressed the EU’s solidarity and support for the Venezuelan people during this time of “enormous pain”: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, with those who have lost loved ones, and with everyone involved in the emergency and rescue operations,” he emphasized.

“The EU stands ready to support emergency response efforts in cooperation with humanitarian partners and to accompany Venezuela during these difficult moments.”

“These earthquakes come at a time when millions of Venezuelans continue to face significant humanitarian needs,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela, and Commissioner Lahbib said in a joint statement.

During the European Commission’s daily press briefing, Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova noted that, so far, they have not received any request to activate the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

“At this moment, our partners are already on the ground. The Red Cross is already carrying out rescue operations, and we are prepared to mobilize assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism,” she said.

Meanwhile, the EU has activated the Copernicus satellite mapping system, allowing it to provide detailed imagery of the scale of the disaster. “We are in contact with all our member states and participating states, and we are assessing the situation,” Hrncirova said.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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