Earthquake-hit Turkey grateful to 'Dost India'

An inter-faith prayer was held at the Turkish embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday to pay tribute to victims of the earthquake in Turkey.

The Embassy of Turkey posted on Twitter about the prayer meeting and said, "An inter-faith prayer ceremony has been held in the Embassy today to commemorate the earthquake victims in Turkiye. Sincere thanks to dost Indians who stand in solidarity with Turkish people through their donations, letters and prayers."

Ambassador Firat Sunel said, "I am deeply touched that we organised a religious prayer today which included representatives of all major religions in India. This is a very big moral support."

When asked about the relief material needs of Turkey after the earthquake, the envoy remarked that tents, containers and blankets are required the most there.

"What we need the most are some materials like tents, containers and blankets especially. Containers are the most important in Turkey because of harsh weather conditions as the temperature there varies from minus five degrees to sometimes minus 10 degrees. I know they are big materials but we also need portable washrooms. However, we have also received donations from Indians," he added.

Sunel further thanked the government for helping the Turkish embassy open an official donation Rupee account. Notably, Turkey witnessed two earthquakes which jolted the southernmost Hatay province on Monday, to this, the envoy expressed: "There were some already damaged buildings and because of this earthquake of 6.4 magnitude, four people died, I heard from the news."

India launched 'Operation Dost' to aid in search-and-rescue in Turkey and Syria following deadly earthquakes that struck on February 6 and claimed over 46,000 lives to date.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with Indian rescue professionals of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other organizations involved in Operation Dost in Turkey.

Addressing the personnel, the Prime Minister lauded them for their great work in 'Operation Dost' in earthquake-hit Türkiye and Syria. The Prime Minister elaborated on the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The Prime Minister said in Türkiye and Syria the Indian team reflected the spirit of the entire world being one family for us, a statement from his office said.

"India was one of the first responders when the earthquake hit Türkiye and Syria", the Prime Minister said as he underlined India's commitment to humanity through 'Operation Dost'. He gave examples of earthquakes in Nepal, and the crisis in Maldives and Sri Lanka and said that India was the first to come forward to help. He noted that the trust of other countries is also increasing in the Indian forces as well as the NDRF.