'Serbia's support to quake victims in Türkiye further strengthened bilateral relations'

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbia's support and solidarity with the earthquake victims in Türkiye further strengthened bilateral relations, said Türkish Embassy in Belgrade on Thursday.

A statement published by the embassy said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was among the first heads of state to issue a message of condolence and ordered a team of 51 people for search and rescue with a trained dog to participate in relief operations in Türkiye.

According to the Embassy, more than 200 tons of in-kind aid collected in Serbia was sent to Türkiye and the Serbian government also provided financial aid worth €1 million Euros ($1,06 million) as well as civil campaigns collected €300,000 ($318,000).

It was also noted that both the government and the people in Serbia were mobilized for earthquake victims and the support and solidarity in difficult times showed determination to strengthen and continue high-level bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Croatia awarded its search and rescue teams with a certificate of appreciation after their efforts in relief operations in Türkiye.
Croatia sent a 41-person search and rescue team along with 7 dogs as well as 8 trucks of humanitarian aid materials to Türkiye on the evening of the earthquake.

More than 45,000 people died in Türkiye in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Feb. 6. The earthquakes, which were centered in the province of Kahramanmaras, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Adiyaman, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed above 5,800.