Brussels, 20 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - An international donors' conference has raised €7 billion ($7.5 billion) in grants and loans to support earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the amount raised had "exceeded expectations," calling the result "outstanding."

"I'm so glad to see today that the international community strongly supports the reconstruction efforts in Turkey and Syria," she added.

The commission alone is to give €1 billion to Turkey, von der Leyen announced earlier.

Germany is doubling its support for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria to a total of €240 million, German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

Von der Leyen and Kristersson, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, jointly hosted the conference in Brussels.

On February 6, the Turkish-Syrian border region was struck by two major earthquakes that left more than 50,000 people dead and millions homeless.

"We all know that the scale of the devastation is staggering," von der Leyen said.

The commission president added that the bloc stands ready to share expertise and experience on building seismic resistant houses, noting that schools and hospitals built in the region with the EU's input had withstood the tremors.

The total amount raised includes €950 million for Syria, von der Leyen said, adding that a separate donors' event for Syria is to be held in Brussels in June.

EU help for Syria is funnelled through international aid organizations and limited to humanitarian support and the most necessary reconstruction, for example repairing water pipes, due to the ongoing civil war in the country.

"The European Union does not work with the Assad regime, but we always support people in need," von der Leyen said in regards to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The bloc's humanitarian aid to Syria "is neutral, it is impartial, and it is independent," she added.

Achim Steiner from the United Nations Development Programme said next to providing earthquake survivors with shelter and repairing infrastructure, the money should be also used "give people a sense of possibility."

This would mean giving people a chance to rebuild their businesses, go back to their farms, or open a bakery or a workshop, he said in an interview with dpa.