Uzbek foreign minister to visit Türkiye in wake of deadly quakes

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Uzbekistan's acting Foreign Minister Bahtiyor Saidov will visit Türkiye on Saturday to express solidarity in the wake of last week's deadly earthquakes in the southern region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Saidov will meet Saturday in the quake-hit province of Gaziantep, where Saidov will demonstrate solidarity and express his condolences for the Feb. 6 twin quakes that have claimed the lives of nearly 39,700 people, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Saidov will also visit Hatay, where an Uzbek search and rescue team is stationed and a field hospital has been set up by Uzbekistan.

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude tremors were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig. More than 13 million people have been affected.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.