Kosovo prime minister pays condolence visit to Turkish soldiers for earthquake victims

By Eren Beksac, Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti paid a condolence visit Friday to the Turkish Military Representative of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo after deadly earthquakes struck Türkiye earlier this week.

Kurti was welcomed by Col. Recai Yılmaz, head of the Turkish Representation Delegation, at the Sultan Murat Barracks in the southern city of Prizren where Turkish soldiers are stationed.

Kurti signed a condolence book and reiterated that Kosovo will provide all necessary assistance to victims in Türkiye.

"Another group of national guards will join the Kosovo Security Force team in Türkiye this evening for the search and rescue operations," according to a statement from Kurti's office.

The government sent the Kosovo Security Force Unit with 36 soldiers to Türkiye on Feb. 6 to support the international humanitarian aid operation and six additional personnel from the Kosovo Search and Rescue Association joined forces.

President Vjosa Osmani declared a national mourning on Feb. 8.

Various NGOs in municipalities such as Prizren, Pristina and Mamusha continue to work uninterruptedly to deliver aid to victims through campaigns they have organized.

The numbers have soared to at least 20,213 people killed and 80,052 injured by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Friday.

The 7.7-and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

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