— Turkey’s Ambassador to Kuwait Tuba Nur Sonmez said on Thursday her country “will not forget” the solidarity shown by Kuwait’s government and people after the recent deadly earthquakes which devastated parts of the south.
The series of earthquakes and aftershocks, which reached 7.7 in magnitude, left thousands dead and injured alongside the widescale destruction of property and infrastructure.
Speaking to KUNA, Ambassador Sonmes said she highly values His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s directives to establish an air bridge for the dispatch of relief aid and urgent medical supplies and personnel to Turkey.
She mentioned that a phonecall was made to convey the matter by His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also contacted her directly immediately after the disaster, outlining Kuwait’s steadfast support of Turkey, she added.
The Turkish ambassador praised the relief efforts introduced by Kuwaiti charities as well as the nationwide support shown by the public during the ordeal, praising contacts made to the embassy to extend condolences.
The most important relief materials that Turkey needs now are medical devices, clothes and winter shelter, she explained.
The affected area exceeds 500km, she added, empasising that the quake caused widescale destruction across 10 cities, where more than 13 million people reside.
“So far, more than 14,000 are dead and 64,000 are injured after thousands of buildings collapsed.” “We have not lost hope in continuing the rescue operations and finding survivors, and, God willing, we will recover from this calamity and come out stronger,” she said.
“As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, we will rebuild the earthquake-hit areas within one year, and we will do what we can to alleviate the suffering of our people with the support of our friends from countries.” “We believe that difficult times make strong friendships, and we will not forget the Kuwaiti efforts to alleviate our suffering and pain,” she said
Source: Kuwait News Agency