Top Turkish, Australian diplomats discuss bushfires

By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s foreign minister on Friday held a phone conversation with his Australian counterpart over the deadly bushfires in the latter's country.

According to diplomatic sources, Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu and Australia's Marise Payne discussed the latest developments on the fires that affected hundreds of homes and facilities.

No further details of the content of the conversation were provided.

Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, Cavusoglu expressed Turkey’s support to Australia.

“My dear friend @MarisePayne, together w/Turkish people deeply saddened by #bushfires in your beautiful country. Sharing wholeheartedly your pain. Stand ready to provide all required assistance to deal with this devastating disaster,” Cavusoglu said.

Australia is witnessing deadly bushfires that estimated to have killed 1.25 billion animals and burned over 20 million acres of land.

At least 25 people lost their lives while battling the heavy blazes that erupted last August, causing millions of dollars in damages.

New South Wales and South Australia were the most affected regions, as local governments declared emergencies and closed schools to avoid casualties.