Massoud Barzani, the leader of northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish government, on Tuesday donated $1 million to the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) for the victims of a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey's east on Sunday Todayszaman reported
News reports said a delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Barzani visited the Turkish Consulate in Arbil early on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with the quake victims in the eastern province of Van. The delegation presented the Turkish consul with a $1 million check to be delivered to Kızılay.
Turkey and the Iraqi regional administration have recently vowed to strengthen cooperation against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which uses its mountain bases in northern Iraq to launch attacks on Turkey.
A 7.2-magnitude quake killed at least 366 people and knocked down more than 2,000 buildings in Van on Sunday. Leaders around the world, including President Barack Obama, conveyed their condolences and offered assistance, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey was able to cope for now. Azerbaijan, Iran and Bulgaria still sent aid, he added.
Among those offering help were Israel, Greece and Armenia, who have all had problems in their diplomatic relations with Turkey.