Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Türkiye, Syria after Devastating Quake

Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Türkiye, Syria after Devastating Quake

Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Diyarbakir, southeast of Türkiye, 06 February 2023. (EPA)

Saudi Arabia offered on Monday its condolences to Türkiye and Syria in wake of the devastating quake that claimed at least 1,400 lives.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom was closely following the tragic developments in Türkiye and Syria.

It expressed the Kingdom’s solidarity and sympathy with the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured on Monday when a huge earthquake struck central Türkiye and northwest Syria, pulverizing apartment blocks and heaping more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by years of war.

The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, was the worst to strike Türkiye this century. It was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. It was followed in the early afternoon by another large quake, magnitude 7.7.

It was not immediately clear how much damage had been done by the second quake, also felt across the region as rescue workers were struggling to pull casualties from rubble in bitter weather.



GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
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GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and airlines.

The agreement was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi expressed the GCC's support for all regional and international efforts and the efforts led by the UN special envoy aimed at achieving peace and security in Yemen.

The announcement underscores the importance the international community attaches to the Yemeni crisis, he added, hoping the agreement will pave the way for Yemeni parties to start the political process, under UN auspices, to reach a comprehensive political solution that achieves security and stability in the country.

He reiterated the GCC's continued support and full solidarity with Yemen, its government and people, and its keenness to encourage all efforts to de-escalate and maintain stability in order to reach peace.