Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed that his country will continue to offer support to Türkiye to overcome the repercussions of the earthquake.
He made his remarks during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday in Istanbul.
The two leaders discussed strategic relations between Qatar and Türkiye and developments in the region, according to Qatar News Agency.
Al Thani expressed his condolences to Erdogan for those who lost their lives in the earthquake, stressing that Qatar will continue to offer all kinds of support to the brotherly people of Türkiye to overcome the crisis.
Ambassador of Qatar to Türkiye Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani affirmed that Sheikh Tamim’s visit to Türkiye aimed to show the support of Qatar to the peoples of Türkiye and Syria at the highest level, “especially since the disaster has hurt us as much as it hurt our brothers in Türkiye and Syria.”
He noted that Qatar, from the first moments of the earthquake disaster, stood by Türkiye, and has harnessed all capabilities to provide relief to those affected by this catastrophic disaster, providing urgent aid and relief to the victims of this disaster, whose repercussions and painful effects are still continuing until now.
The ambassador added that since the first moments of this tragedy, Qatar has come to Türkiye's aid, and all of this culminated in the visit of the Emir, which carries a clear message that Qatar always stands by Türkiye, in good times and bad, and that they are partners in this painful calamity.
For his part, Ambassador of Türkiye to Qatar Dr. Mustafa Goksu affirmed that Sheikh Tamim’s visit to Türkiye is meaningful and has significant connotations, as he is the first leader in the world to visit the Turkish Republic after the catastrophe of the devastating earthquake that struck the south of the country last week.
He said more than 120 personnel of the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), equipped with specialized search and rescue mechanisms and equipment, in addition to field hospitals, relief aid, tents, medical and winter supplies, as well as the allocation of 10,000 mobile homes, which will be transported to the affected areas, have arrived on board the first flight of the airlift that the State of Qatar operated for the Republic of Türkiye.
The Turkish Ambassador further stated that within the framework of this airlift between the two countries, seven planes carrying Qatari rescue and search teams, along with humanitarian and medical supplies, have arrived in the Gaziantep region in Türkiye, where the Qatari rescue team is working in the city of Nurdagi to assist in rescue operations.
Moreover, a team from the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group participating in search and rescue operations in Gaziantep Governorate, southern Türkiye, visited several Syrian areas adjacent to the Turkish border to provide urgent relief assistance to those affected by earthquakes and to see the reality of relief operations, QNA reported.
The rescue team visited areas including Al-Jindires, where food aid and winter needs were provided.
The team was also briefed on the housing units provided by Qatar to those affected in the Sheikh Hadid area, in addition to inspecting some facilities in the area to ensure the safety of the residents.
In cooperation with the Turkish local Authorities, the Lekhwiya had begun search and rescue missions on Thursday in the earthquake-stricken areas in southern Türkiye.
