India's response to Turkey signifies our civilizational ethos: Ex-ambassador Sanjay Bhattacharyya New Delhi:India is among the most active nations in providing relief to quake-hit Turkey and Syria these days. As many as seven aircraft so far have been sent to Turkey with relief materials and specialized rescue teams under ‘Operation Dost’. Turkey has acknowledged India's prompt humanitarian assistance even though the relations between the two countries were not at their best considering Turkey's stance on the abrogation of Article 370.
Former ambassador to Turkey Sanjay Bhattacharyya, in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat on Monday, said India's response signified its civilization and the capacity to come to others' help, especially in times like these when one of the biggest human tragedies of this decade is unfolding in the beleaguered country.
"It's been a horrific tragedy. An earthquake of this proportion has not been seen in a very long time. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that it has happened in a part of the country that is not as well connected and is also prone to conflict within the region," Bhattacharyya said. Despite Turkey's anti-India stance, India has promptly responded to the monumental crisis that has struck Turkey. The ties deteriorated after Ankara raked the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in international fora.
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Commenting on the same, the ex-envoy said, "India's response to such a catastrophe has really come from what our civilizational ethos is. We are a great civilization based on humanity, principles, and values". "Over the years, India has developed enough capacity. We have had remarkable economic progress, which has helped us to build our capacity," he said.
Pertinently, Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel on Monday thanked the country for providing the much-needed assistance to cope with the earthquake aftermath that has left over 30,000 dead so far and tens of thousands injured.
"The significant thing to note is that within 24 hours, India was able to launch the humanitarian relief," the former ambassador pointed out. On the issue of minimal aid reaching northwest Syria, the most affected region in the country, owing to sanctions, Bhattacharyya said: "Sanctions are a political issue, however, the humanitarian issue should not be mixed with it. Sanctions do not apply to humanitarian assistance. There is a need to put humanitarian imperatives first."
While Russia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Iraq have sent some humanitarian support and rescue teams to government-held areas in Syria – where needs are also very real – no one is delivering meaningful amounts of aid to the north-west.
