Day: February 15, 2023

Armenia extended Türkiye a "hand of friendship" after last week's twin earthquakes that have so far claimed the lives of nearly 35,420 in the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

"Armenia extended a hand of friendship in this difficult time, and demonstrated solidarity and cooperation," Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in the capital Ankara.

Cavusoglu said Mirzoyan's visit to Türkiye was "meaningful."

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors on Feb. 6 were centered in Kahramanmaras province and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck in the space of less than 10 hours.

Noting that Armenia sent a 28-person search and rescue team to Türkiye after the quakes, Cavusoglu said their efforts have continued in Adiyaman since Feb. 8.

"They sent 100 tons of humanitarian aid and said they would send additional aid," he added.

Stressing that Türkiye remembers the 1988 earthquake that shook Armenia, Cavusoglu said: "After that earthquake, Türkiye's aid was delivered to Armenia by passing through the Alican border gate. Humanitarian aid from Armenia came to our country through the same border gate. We need to continue this solidarity."

The Türkiye-Armenia border reopened for the first time in 30 years after the quakes in southern Türkiye to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid to disaster victims.

On the ongoing process of diplomatic normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as Türkiye, Cavusoglu said progress would "contribute to the peace and prosperity of our region."

Lasting stability in the South Caucasus is also important for economic development, he added. "We also talked about the steps to be taken in the normalization process, one of them is the reconstruction of the Silk Road Bridge. The reconstruction of the Silk Road Bridge will be very meaningful and we will work together on this issue."

'Armenia willing to build peace'

Mirzoyan, for his part, expressed Armenia's willingness to build peace in the difficult times.

"I would like to reaffirm the preparation and will of the Republic of Armenia, especially for the complete normalization of relations with Türkiye, the establishment of diplomatic relations and the full opening of the border between Armenia and Türkiye," he added.

The minister said the international community should not remain indifferent in wake of humanitarian crises and must act together to overcome them.

He also noted that a second party of humanitarian aid had been dispatched through the border gate on Tuesday night and would "soon reach Adiyaman to those affected by the earthquake."

The Armenian top diplomat is expected to later visit Adiyaman province, where the search and rescue team from his country continues to work.

Despite Türkiye being one of the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence in 1991, the two countries have been divided on a range of issues, including Yerevan's occupation of Azerbaijani territories, the events of 1915 during the reign of the Ottoman Empire and the border closure between the two neighboring countries since 1993.

In 2021, Ankara and Yerevan mutually appointed special representatives to normalize ties.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday thanked Russian rescuers for their work in Türkiye and Syria after the devastating earthquakes last week.

In a video address to an expanded meeting of the Emergency Ministry Board, Putin said in 2022 Russian rescue teams conducted 35 international humanitarian missions.

“Last week, the ministry’s forward groups were among the first to help the victims of devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. Our rescue workers, dog handlers, doctors and psychologists were working around the clock, rapidly deploying mobile hospitals, organizing search and rescue operations and thereby saving the lives and health of many people,” he said.

Putin added that in Russia the ministry’s staff "acted promptly during flood relief operations," and "did a great deal to put out wildfires and industry-related fires."

“I would like to thank the ministry’s leadership and its military and civilian staff for their responsible attitude to tackling their tasks, for their professionalism and for providing assistance to people in trouble without delay and despite the risks and dangers involved,” the president said.

Over 35,400 people were killed and more than 105,000 others injured in the deadly quakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb 6., according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adiyaman, Gaziantep and Hatay.

In neighboring Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over 14,749 injured.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Spain will deploy an advanced surface-to-air missile system in Estonia to help boost NATO’s eastern flank, Estonia’s defense minister said Tuesday.

Speaking to Spanish daily El Pais, Hanno Pevkur announced that the Spanish army will deploy a NASAMS system equipped with several advanced medium-range missiles to protect the Baltic country from a Russian air attack.

The deployment will give Estonia, a NATO member, a defense capability that it currently lacks and help train its army in the technology. The mission is expected to begin in April and last at least four months, according to Pevkur.

“There’s been talk for months about NATO strengthening its eastern flank. We now see that Spain is taking that commitment seriously,” he said.

“With the war in Ukraine, we’ve seen how important it is to defend the eastern flank.”

Spain’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the deal, which leaders reached on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.

Spain has also been operating a Patriot air missile contingent at Adana Airport in Türkiye since 2015 to support NATO’s efforts to protect Türkiye from Syrian attacks.

The Spanish mission in Adana suffered during the recent powerful earthquakes but sustained no damage and is currently helping with rescue and aid missions in the region.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A field hospital set up by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for earthquake victims is healing wounds in the Gaziantep province in Türkiye.

The hospital, which began operating four days after twin earthquakes hit southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, employs 50 personnel with 15 doctors.

It has a 50-bed capacity with an operating room, emergency, intensive care, psychology, and family doctor sections.

Director Brig. Gen. Sarhan Al Neyadi told Anadolu that his team came to the region on orders from UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan after the quakes.

"We are here to help our brothers and sisters who were affected by the devastating effect in the earthquake region. I offer my condolences to the families of the lost. We came here with a very large-capacity hospital that can help the earthquake victims medically. And we're going to help people," said Neyadi. “Doctors from Turkish hospitals also came here, we are working as a team in coordination with them. We continue to work as a single body. Our emergency also provides 24/7 service.”

He said he visited the crisis management desk and saw how professional the crisis managers at the center are and how well they do their jobs.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A French field hospital has become operational in Türkiye’s southern quake-hit province of Adiyaman.

Set up in the Golbasi district, the facility has the capacity of treating 100 patients per day.

The hospital will remain operational for at least 15 days, according to Herve Magro, the French ambassador to Türkiye.

“We will stay for as long as Turkish authorities want,” he said.

The hospital has two operating rooms and a labor room with a staff of 15 doctors and 25 nurses, according to Isabella Arnaud, a surgeon.

On Feb. 6, two powerful earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The death toll has now climbed over 35,400, with thousands more injured.

Felt in several countries, the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors also caused massive destruction in northern Syria, where more than 3,500 lives have been lost.

Source: Anadolu Agency