EU offers 'solidarity' to quake-hit Turkey

(BRUSSELS) - The European Union on Monday tentatively offered to help would-be member Turkey "as necessary," following an earthquake that killed 57 people at the latest count.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso offered condolences and Brussels' "solidarity" in a statement, inviting the bloc's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton to "keep me informed, so that assistance can be mobilised as necessary."

Ashton finally visited quake-hit Haiti last week, delivering further pledges of long-term aid which, adding national contributions to EU-level assistance, have now reached 609 million euros (828 million dollars).

Haiti's January quake killed more than 222,000 people and left 1.3 million people homeless in and around the capital Port-au-Prince.

The EU began membership talks with Turkey in 2005 but the negotiating process has ground to a standstill due to Ankara's failure to open its borders to EU member Cyprus.