Messages of support pour in for Turkey’s fight against forest fires

By Mehmet Nuri Ucar and Gulsen Topcu

ISTANBUL/DOHA, Qatar (AA) – Yemen, Palestine and Egypt conveyed their condolences Sunday to Turkey, where wildfires in the past few days have led to deaths and material damage.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak sent a message to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, expressing his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the fires, according to Yemen’s Foreign Ministry.

Mubarak also wished a speedy recovery for the injured, stressing that Yemen is on the side of the “fraternal” Turkish people in the fight against this natural disaster.

A delegation of Palestinian scholars also issued a message of condolence.

"We are deeply saddened by the wildfires that have erupted in many parts of fraternal country Turkey," it said.

“We extend our condolences to those who lost their lives and to their families. We heartily share the pain of the fraternal Turkish people.”

The message also said that Palestine is praying for all of the firefighting teams and wishes them success.

Meanwhile Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni Islamic world, published a statement expressing its sorrow and conveying its condolences for the forest fire victims and their relatives as well as all the workers and volunteers trying to stem the spread of the massive fires.

Al-Azhar also wished for an urgent healing to the injured, according to their statement on Facebook.

The statement said Al-Azhar was on the side of the Turkish people in the face of this tragic event.

On July 31, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry also sent a message of solidarity to Turkey, which is fighting the fires.

"Today, I extend my condolences for the loss of lives by the deadly wildfires in Turkey. Our solidarity and thoughts are with the people of Turkey and the firefighters battling the blazes," Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Twitter.

"In an immediate response, the European Commission has already helped mobilize 1 Canadair plane from Croatia and 2 Canadairs from Spain. These firefighting aeroplanes are part of rescEU, the European reserve of civil protection assets," the European Commission said in a statement.

"The EU stands in full solidarity with Turkey at this very difficult time. I thank all the countries which have offered help," said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, adding they stand ready to provide further assistance.

Qatar has sent a team to Turkey to take part in search and rescue activities amid the forest fires, local media reported Sunday.

According to Qatar’s state news agency QNA, a team from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Qatari Internal Security Forces departed for Turkey at the instruction of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Croatia will send a firefighting plane to Turkey as part of the fight against the fires, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Twitter

Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli has said the 119 of 126 fires across 32 cities that erupted since Wednesday have been contained. In a statement, he said efforts are underway to bring the remaining blazes under control.

At least eight people have lost their lives in the fires in addition material damage.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited areas affected by the forest fires, saying 50 million Turkish liras ($5.91 million) have been released to meet urgent needs.

*Writing by Merve Berker and Gozde Bayar