Top diplomats to visit Türkiye in solidarity after quake disaster
People walk amidst collapsed buildings, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey Feb. 14, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


More state officials are planning to visit Türkiye in solidarity following the two devastating earthquakes that hit the country’s southeast last week.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Türkiye on Feb. 15 and meet with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in the capital Ankara, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry added that he would travel to the Adıyaman province, where Armenian emergency teams contribute to search and rescue efforts.

Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister, Elmedin Konakovic, will visit Türkiye on Feb. 14-16 to express solidarity in the aftermath of last week’s deadly quakes in the country’s southern region.

Çavuşoğlu and Konakovic will meet on Wednesday in the capital Ankara, where he will convey condolences over the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that have so far claimed the lives of nearly 32,000 people, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Konakovic will then visit Hatay to meet search and rescue teams from Bosnia-Herzegovina, it added.

The Palestinian Religious Endowments Minister Hatem al-Bakri will also visit Türkiye on Sunday to meet Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) officials and Turkish officials to follow up on the aid delivery to Türkiye and Syria.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes were centered in Kahramanmaraş and struck nine other provinces-Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.