Arab and foreign countries have voiced their solidarity with Türkiye and Syria following a devastating earthquake on Monday that killed hundreds and injured thousands.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and offered his condolences over the deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye.
During the phone call, the Crown Prince “extended his deepest condolences to [Erdogan] and to the Turkish people and the families of the earthquake victims, and his wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
The Crown Prince also reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s stand in solidarity with Türkiye to overcome the aftermath of the natural disaster.
For his part, Erdogan “expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Crown Prince for the noble and fraternal feelings he expressed, appreciating the Kingdom standing by Türkiye’s side during this difficult time.”
Separately, the Saudi Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing the Kingdom’s solidarity with Türkiye and Syria.
“The Kingdom is following up closely on the unfortunate events in Türkiye and Syria,” the ministry said.
“The Kingdom expresses its solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian people and offers its condolences, wishing the injured a quick recovery,” it added.
Among the regional bodies that also followed suit in offering their condolences to the families of victims of the earthquake were the Muslim World League (MWL), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Türkiye said it was working with the Turkish authorities to confirm whether any Saudi citizens have died in the earthquake that hit the nation early on Monday.
The United Arab Emirates, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Greece, Poland, Sweden, the UK, and several other Gulf, Arab and foreign states, also expressed their condolences.
The quake – which was felt in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, and several other neighboring countries – has killed hundreds of people in southeast Türkiye and northern Syria.
Saudi Arabia was not affected by the earthquake, according to the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS).
Official Spokesman of the SGS Tariq Abalkhail said that the earthquake was caused by the active tectonic movement of the Anatolian Fault, in southeastern Türkiye.
This fault is a seismically active crack due to the tectonic pressures resulting from the collision of the Arabian plate with the Eurasian plate in the Taurus Mountains region of Türkiye.
