BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1. Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci expressed gratitude to the country’s President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people for the assistance provided to quake-hit Türkiye, Trend reports.
Bagci told reporters that Azerbaijan was the first country to come to Türkiye’s aid.
“We’re aware that search and rescue efforts conducted by the Azerbaijani rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Defense are under the strict control of President Ilham Aliyev. The biggest rescue team sent to Türkiye was the Azerbaijani group. It was the Azerbaijani rescuers who, among the international group, saved more lives and provided medical assistance," he said.
The ambassador noted that Azerbaijan had also delivered financial aid, along with all its support.
"A great amount of technical equipment, tents, generators, and other relief supplies were sent from Azerbaijan to the disaster area," he added.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023. The earthquake occurred at a depth of seven kilometers in the Pazarcik region of Kahramanmaras Province. The provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, and Kahramanmaras were subjected to severe destruction. As a result of the Türkiye earthquake, strong tremors were also felt in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus.
On February 21, 6.4-magnitude and 5.4-magnitude tremors were felt in the Turkish Hatay province, which had already been damaged by the deadly earthquake of Feb. 6. The earthquakes caused heavy destruction and personal injuries.