“The terrible earthquake in friendly and brotherly Turkey caused great destruction and thousands of losses. This event deeply saddened us, and the hearts of every Azerbaijani are beating today with our brothers in Turkey. Indeed, the brotherly country is going through the most difficult times, but no one doubts that Turkey will soon leave these difficult times behind. Because Turkey is a powerful country, it has gone through many such tests. What saddens us the most in the incident is the human deaths, we have lost our brothers and sisters. It is impossible to fill their place. We ask the Almighty for mercy for each of them. There are also many wounded, may God heal them all. Turkish people are very determined, they are more determined in such difficult situations. We believe that they will unite more closely around their powerful state and eliminate all the consequences of the natural disaster in the near future.
Sattar Mohbaliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC), member of the Milli Majlis, expressed these views to the mass media.
According to him, as soon as the news of the incident reached our country, Azerbaijan showed its solidarity: “The head of our state, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, sent a letter of condolence to the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and stated that we are ready to provide all kinds of assistance. Then he called on the phone and conveyed that our country shares Turkey’s pain. Of course, this is an example of unbreakable brotherhood. It has been so historically and it is still so today. Also, President Ilham Aliyev visited the Turkish embassy in our country and once again expressed his condolences to the brotherly country. First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva also wished strength and patience to the people of Turkey on her official Instagram page. At present, all the people of Azerbaijan share the pain of their Turkish brothers and continuously express their solidarity. Of course, this is true not only in words, but also in deeds. Already on February 6-8, 7 planes and 1 car convoy were sent from Azerbaijan to Turkey. In total, 725 personnel of the Ministry of Emergency were sent to Turkey from the time of the tragedy until February 8. 34 of them are medical staff, including doctors and 7 technicians. The humanitarian aid provided by Azerbaijan includes supplies used in rescue operations, generators, pumping stations, cars, as well as modular field hospitals, medical equipment, medicines, emergency aid equipment, tents, bedding.”
“The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which has always been an example with its humanistic and noble mission, also provides humanitarian aid to the brotherly country. 36 tons of humanitarian aid has already been sent to those affected by the earthquake by the instructions of the President of the Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva. Various medical preparations, oxygen masks, filter systems, bandage materials, spine boards, first aid collars, stretchers, etc. includes medical supplies and equipment, warm clothing, tents. Also, many regions of Azerbaijan actively joined the action to help the victims of the strong earthquake that occurred in Turkey. Our people come to the organized aid collection points and hand over the items they have brought. In addition, Azerbaijanis support the brotherly country in the form of financial resources and donations. We are sure that this fraternal support will continue until the end,” said the MP of Milli Majlis.