Armenia offered Türkiye 'hand of friendship' after deadly quakes, says Turkish foreign minister

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Armenia extended Türkiye a "hand of friendship" after last week's twin earthquakes that have so far claimed the lives of nearly 35,420 in the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

"Armenia extended a hand of friendship in this difficult time, and demonstrated solidarity and cooperation," Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in the capital Ankara.

Cavusoglu said Mirzoyan's visit to Türkiye was "meaningful."

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors on Feb. 6 were centered in Kahramanmaras province and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck in the space of less than 10 hours.

Noting that Armenia sent a 28-person search and rescue team to Türkiye after the quakes, Cavusoglu said their efforts have continued in Adiyaman since Feb. 8.

"They sent 100 tons of humanitarian aid and said they would send additional aid," he added.

Mirzoyan, for his part, expressed Armenia's willingness to build peace in these difficult times.

The Armenian top diplomat is expected to later visit Adiyaman, where the search and rescue team from his country continues to work.