New Delhi: India is rushing out relief and rescue teams to Turkey to help the nation cope with the massive earthquake that hit it early Monday morning with a former diplomat lauding the centre for the move especially since India-Turkey relations have not been warm lately. An official spokesperson of the PMO said in light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions to offer all possible assistance to cope with the earthquake in Tukey, Dr P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister held a meeting in South Block to discuss immediate relief measures.
"It was decided that search and rescue teams of NDRF and Medical Teams along with relief material would be dispatched immediately in coordination with the Government of Republic of Türkiye," the spokesperson said in an official statement. Two teams of NDRF comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment are ready to be flown to the earthquake-hit area for search and rescue operations, it added.
Medical Teams, the spokesperson said, are also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines. "Relief material will be dispatched in coordination with the Government of Republic of Türkiye and Indian Embassy in Ankara and Consulate General office in Istanbul," the statement read.
Reacting to India offering help to Turkey, former Ambassador JK Tripathi told ETV Bharat that despite Turkey's anti-India stance on several platforms, the humanitarian assistance would "certainly send a good message." "During the Covid times when the whole world was witnessing an extreme upheaval, India was the first country to send vaccines to several nations irrespective of whether they were friendly or not. India had also sent medicines to China irrespective of the unfriendly relations between the two," he said.
"This initiative by India will send across a message to the international arena that irrespective of the bilateral relations, when it comes to humanitarian assistance, India stands first," he added. The former ambassador also pointed out that "despite Turkey having good relations with China, we are yet to hear from them over whether they would be sending humanitarian assurance to Turkey."
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey and Syria early Monday. Over 2,000 people were killed in both countries, thousands injured and the toll was expected to rise. "Anguished by the loss of lives and damage of property due to the Earthquake in Turkey. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon," Modi said in a tweet. "India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy," the prime minister said tagging a tweet by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the quake.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also condoled the loss of lives in the earthquake. "Deeply distressed by the loss of lives and damage in the earthquake in Trkiye. Have conveyed to FM @MevlutCavusoglu our condolences and support at this difficult time," Jaishankar said in a tweet.
Turkey, which borders Syria to the north, hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world. On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed opposition-held regions that are packed with several million displaced Syrians with a decrepit health care system after years of war.
