The US State Department called on the world to help Syria after the earthquake without normalizing relations

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 – The United States urges the world community not to accompany assistance to Syria in the aftermath of earthquakes by normalizing relations with the country’s authorities, said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

The US itself says it is helping the Syrians through friendly non-governmental organizations.

“We believe that we and all countries of the world can simultaneously meet both imperatives: to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people without revisiting or raising the level of relations with the regime of (Syrian President Bashar) Assad,” Price said at a media briefing.

Powerful earthquakes that occurred on February 6 in southeastern Turkey affected neighboring Syria, where the death toll, according to official figures, exceeded 1.4 thousand, almost 2.5 thousand were injured.