The Minister of Foreign Affairs flew over the affected areas Nikos Dendias, accompanied by his Turkish colleague, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Nazir Cavusoglu went to Hatay with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. pic.twitter.com/1GT0iijV39

— Iktimai TV (@TvIctimai) February 12, 2023

The Greek Foreign Minister arrived at the Adana airport shortly after 9 am. M. Tsavusoglu was waiting for him there, who met him with warm hugs. The two ministers had a brief meeting in the airport lounge and immediately afterward boarded helicopters bound for Hatay province.

In addition, Nikos Dendias visited the Antioch Operations Center and was briefed on the latest evacuation and rescue developments, as well as the need for humanitarian assistance.

M. Tsavusoglu thanked Greece and stressed that in such difficult days one can see good neighborly relations, while both ministers noted that “we do not need to wait for natural disasters to improve our relations.”

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias arrived in the southern Turkish province of Adana after strong earthquakes hit the region and was welcomed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

🔴 LIVE updates here: https://t.co/rjJzOvo2mE pic.twitter.com/UiAbu9uZ92

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) February 12, 2023

Dendias: Turkey’s help doesn’t end there

Nikos Dendias conveyed to the Turkish Foreign Minister, the Turkish government and the Turkish people the deepest condolences from the government and the entire Greek people. At the same time, he stated that Greece’s efforts to help the Turkish people and Turkish society to overcome this great blow does not stop there. “I have an order from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to assure that Greece will do everything possible to support Turkey at this difficult time, either on a bilateral basis or in the context of its participation in the EU.” specifically stated.

Nikos Dendias also thanked Mevlut Cavusoglu for his very kind words about the efforts of the Greek rescuers and for his warm mention of the Greek presence in the region. “I would like to join what M. Cavusoglu said, we do not need to wait for natural disasters to improve our relations,” he stressed.

He also stated that he was especially pleased with the human lives saved by the Greek rescuers who made the attempt here in Turkey, as well as the many lives saved by the European rescuers. “Together with Mr. Cavusoglu, we had the opportunity to visit Austrian, Dutch and Icelandic rescuers. From what they told us, they saved 205 lives, including the Greeks,” he said. Finally, Nikos Dendias thanked Mevlut Cavusoglu and the Turkish government for the reception.

Cavusoglu: Good-neighbourly relations can be seen in such difficult days

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister noted that the presence of N. Dendias testifies to the support and solidarity of the Greek people. “Greece was one of the first countries to contact the Turkish authorities immediately after the earthquake, saying that they were ready to help. Rescue crews and several planes with humanitarian aid were immediately sent to the areas affected by the earthquake,” he said.

He then mentioned the contribution of members of the Greek Relief Mission, which is working in areas affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, as well as the visit of the Minister of Climate Change and Civil Protection to Turkey. , which accompanied the sending of the first wave of humanitarian aid from Greece, which was carried out by five aircraft. “Some time ago we also visited the EMAK mission. They worked 7 days, 24 hours and made superhuman efforts, for which we are grateful to them. We saw and observed that after saving every life, every person, not only the Greeks who are in the search and rescue teams were happy, but we saw that all the Greeks were happy,” he said.

Recalling the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and Greece, he said: “First Greece ran to help Turkey, and then we went to Greece to help our neighbors. I remember TIME magazine writing about this at the time. I was not a politician at the time, but as a reader, I sent a letter to TIME magazine and it was published. I wrote, of course, that it is very important to help each other in difficult times and days, but we should not wait for another earthquake to improve our bilateral relations. Then I said it as a simple citizen of Turkey. I repeat this now as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey.” Finally, he expressed personal gratitude and appreciation to “Nikos Dendias, my friend, the Greek government and the Greek people for their support and solidarity in these difficult days.”