RIYADH: Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu has lauded the quick response of Saudi relief teams in support of earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria.
His praise came as the eighth aid plane from the Kingdom landed at Syria’s Aleppo International Airport carrying food, medical, and shelter supplies.
Cavusoglu recently met in Turkiye’s Hatay province with delegations from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and Saudi Red Crescent helping in the aftermath of the devastating quakes, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The eighth aid plane from the Kingdom landed at Syria’s Aleppo International Airport carrying food, medical, and shelter supplies. (SPA)
The minister passed on his thanks to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their country’s assistance.
In a tweet showing photos of the relief plane taking off, KSrelief said: “The departure of the eighth Saudi relief plane carrying food, medical, and shelter materials weighing more than 35 tons, heading to #Aleppo International Airport to support earthquake victims in #Syria and #Turkey.”
On Monday, another aircraft from the Kingdom touched down at Gaziantep Airport in Turkiye carrying medical supplies worth more than SR36 million ($9.6 million).
Awad Al-Fayyad, a Riyadh journalist who arrived in Gaziantep 24 hours after the earthquake, told Arab News: “The Saudi relief bridge had a big impact on the field. Most of the aid received in the first five days was very scarce, but Saudi aid arrived four days after the earthquake in abundance.
“According to Turkish officials, the Saudi aid was the first international aid to be received abundantly in northern Syria and southern Turkey.”
He said that the 30-plus Saudi search and rescue workers sent to quake zones were given a warm welcome.
“I have never witnessed a team the size and diversity of the Saudi team in terms of aid and specialization,” Al-Fayyad added.
The Saudi Embassy’s cultural attache in Turkiye has set up a special service offering 24-hour help and advice to Saudi students attending universities in Turkiye who have been affected by the quake.
And KSrelief has launched a national campaign through the Sahem platform to help quake victims which has so far raised more than SR350 million from 1.5 million donations.
