Turkey, Syria Have To Cooperate To Effectively Cope With Aftermath Of Earthquakes - Moscow

Close cooperation between Damascus and Ankara is necessary for the two countries to effectively cope with the consequences of the recent devastating earthquakes, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2023) Close cooperation between Damascus and Ankara is necessary for the two countries to effectively cope with the consequences of the recent devastating earthquakes, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with the leader of the Syrian People's Will Party and Moscow opposition platform, Qadri Jamil, to discuss humanitarian assistance to Syria following the natural disaster.

"Special attention was drawn to the humanitarian situation in Syria. The Russian side stressed the necessity to develop practical cooperation between Damascus and Ankara to overcome the consequences of the earthquake that hit the two neighboring countries on February 6," the statement read.

Parts of Turkey and Syria were hit by a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks on February 6. The death toll from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey exceeded 35,000. In Syria, the World Health Organization has estimated the number of casualties at 8,500, while the Syrian Health Ministry said the death toll in the government-controlled areas topped 1,410 people.

Russia has taken part in rescue operations in the two countries, with the Russian emergency response teams rescuing nine people and providing assistance to over 800 victims of the earthquakes in both Turkey and Syria, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.