Türkiye thanks Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government for earthquake relief

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - Türkiye's Consul General to Erbil Mevlut Yakut paid a thank-you visit on Thursday to the Barzani Relief Foundation for its relief efforts in southern Türkiye amid the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes.

Consul General Yakut said in a press conference that more than 100 countries offered help to Türkiye after the earthquake disaster, "this shows how many friends Türkiye has," he noted.

Yakut said, "One of the quickest help providers was the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the people of the region."

Yakut emphasized that everyone in the KRG region is trying to contribute their best in helping earthquake victims, noting, "one of the most important supporters was the Barzani Charity Foundation."

"The foundation sent aid teams to Türkiye, provided food aid, set up tents, and supported search and rescue activities. We thank them very much," he added.

Barzani Charity Foundation Chairman Musa Ahmed stated that his teams continue their aid activities, especially in Kahramanmaras, Diyarbakir and Adiyaman provinces.

Ahmed noted that the foundation plans to send more aid to the earthquake regions.

At least 43,556 people have been killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Wednesday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.