Dr Majed bin Mohamed al-Ansari, Adviser to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed that the launch of the first flight as part of Qatar's support for Turkey to address the catastrophic earthquakes, and in implementation of the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, reflects the readiness of Qatar to stand in solidarity with the sisterly Turkiye.
During the weekly media briefing organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday, Dr al-Ansari stressed the support of Qatar in standing by Turkiye, noting that the airlift included a team of more than 120 personnel from the Qatar International Search and Rescue Group of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), equipped with specialised machinery for search and rescue operations.
The first flight as part of the airlift also included three field hospitals, relief aid, tents, medical kits and foodstuff. In addition, 20 vehicles on board four planes and 10,000 mobile homes to alleviate the suffering of the earthquake victims will be shipped gradually to affected areas as soon as possible, along with varied additional assistance from Qatar's civil society led by Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and Qatar Charity (QC), which immediately started their work through their offices in Turkiye.
He pointed out that the Qatari team is highly experienced in that field, as they have carried out many similar operations in different countries. Dr al-Ansari said Qatar's stance regarding supporting Turkiye and the affected areas in northern Syria is an expression of solidarity, calling on all countries, institutions and associations to get involved in such situations.
He noted that Qatar's role has emerged since the occurrence of the devastating earthquake by communicating with Turkish officials, offering condolences to the people of Turkiye, and expressing its readiness to stand by Turkiye at this time. He affirmed the continuation of Qatar's role during the coming period in co-ordination with the Turkish side according to the priorities, noting that most of the affected areas are within Turkiye or in the northern regions.
Regarding Qatari citizens in Turkey, Dr al-Ansari indicated the readiness of Qatar's embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul to provide any needed support to Qatari citizens through official diplomatic teams to ensure their safety. He stressed that Qatar's embassy has not received any reports regarding any damage for Qatari citizens.
