Greece’s efforts to help Turkey don’t stop there, foreign minister assured Nikos Dendias during his joint statements with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antioch, one of the cities hit by Monday’s earthquakes. 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.”

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.”

In the affected areas of Dendias – Tsavusoglu

During a visit to Antioch, accompanied by Turkish Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, he met with members of the Greek Relief Mission, which is operating in areas heavily affected by the February 6 magnitude 7.8 earthquake. He also visited the Operations Center in Antioch, where he was briefed on the latest developments in the area of ​​evacuation and rescue operations, as well as the need for humanitarian assistance.

Earlier, upon arrival together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece at the civil protection center in Antioch, M. Tsavusoglu said that he was glad that N. Dendias was in Turkey. “I would like to come for joy, not for such issues, but we are here now,” was N.Dendias’ first statement as soon as he arrived at the civil protection center.

Reception of Tsavusoglu in Dendia

The Greek Foreign Minister arrived at the Adana airport shortly after 9 am. He was greeted there by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, with whom Nikos Dendias had a warm hug, followed by a half-hour one-on-one meeting. The two foreign ministers then went by helicopter to Antioch.

Today I am on a visit to Turkey, where, accompanied by my Turkish colleague, @MevlutCavusogluI will meet with members of the Hellenic Relief Mission, which is working in areas affected by recent earthquakes. https://t.co/gaMUavbZ0j pic.twitter.com/MYm7AHzHrC

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 12, 2023

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

Visit of N. Dendias to Turkey This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs early Sunday morning..

12.02 | Foreign Secretary @NikosDendias will visit Turkey today. Throughout the visit, the minister will be accompanied by his Turkish counterpart M. Cavusoglu.

Announcement ⤵️ https://t.co/yChfLBuHBw pic.twitter.com/AVYJxNoPzU

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@GreeceMFA) February 12, 2023

“Thank you” Turk EMAK

Shortly before the visit of the two foreign ministers to the places where the buildings collapsed, a Turkish gendarmerie officer thanked the Greek forces from the first moment for their help, saying: “Let the Greeks know that the Turks are your friends, if something happens, we will be the first, who will rush. Only with mutual support can such disasters be resisted. The earthquake affected 10 cities. Luckily, you are.”