Several UNESCO members in solidarity with quake-hit Türkiye

By Umit Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – The permanent representative of Türkiye to UNESCO organized a help campaign after last week's earthquakes.

Ambassador Gulnur Aybet held the campaign at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Representatives from many countries, including Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Nigeria, attended the event.

She thanked the Ambassador to Uzbekistan Umid Shadiev and the Ambassador to Azerbaijan Elman Abdullayev, in particular.

Abdullayev told Anadolu that his country shares Türkiye's pain.

"We want to remind that we, Azerbaijanis, as a component of the Turkic world, stand side by side with Türkiye, and are ready to mobilize all of our capacities to provide the support needed," he said.

The permanent representative of Uzbekistan to UNESCO, Umid Shadiev said that "Türkiye's losses are his country's losses."

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, ambassador of Pakistan to France and representative permanent to UNESCO, expressed his country's support to Türkiye.

"This earthquake has devastated and saddened us all," he told Anadolu, ensuring that Pakistan has mobilized everything to show solidarity.

"We will continue our efforts, knowing that the Turkish nation will come out stronger from this big disaster," he added.

Pakistani associations Muslim Hands France and Pakistan Business Forum France have collected a donation of €35,000 ($37,560) for the victims.

The latter's representative Shahibzada Ateeq recalled that in 2005 after an earthquake hit Pakistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family went to the country to show support.

Pakistan also donated 350 packages of emergency aid material, including blankets and clothes.

Nigerian representative to UNESCO, Hajo Sani hailed "strong and historic" ties between Türkiye and her country, and expressed Nigeria's support.

On Feb. 6, two massive earthquakes struck southern Türkiye.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were felt in several countries and caused destruction in northern Syria.

More than 31,600 people were killed in Türkiye, according to the latest official figures, while death toll topped 3,600 in Syria.

* Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara