CORRECTS - Turkish charities offer help to needy people in Ethiopia

ADDS NAME OF INVOLVED CHARITY FOUNDATION, MENDS HEADLINE, DECK

By Seleshi Tessema

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Turkish charities distributed packages of food, clothing and shoes on Friday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa as part of their Ramadan gift program.

Turkey's ambassador to Ethiopia, Yaprak Alp, along with other Turkish Embassy officials, attended the aid distribution ceremony organized by the Diyanet Foundation (TDV), alongside the Germany-based Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB, in the town of Burayu in the suburbs of Addis Ababa.

The aid, distributed among the vulnerable, included 500 food packages, as well as shoes and clothes, for 1,250 children.

"Turkey and Ethiopia are more than friends," Alp said, adding that both countries would further enhance their relations.

Haji Ibrahim Mussa, head of Oromiya Islamic Council, the sole Islamic body of the region, said the Ramadan gift program helped the poor in their time of need. "This is an expression of a long-lasting friendship between Ethiopia and Turkey."

Thanking the Turkish government and people for their support, Burayu town mayor Jegnawu Giza voiced hope that relations between the two countries will further grow.