The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is continuing its aid efforts for Türkiye, which is trying to recover from February’s deadly earthquakes, during the holy month of Ramadan.
Under the supervision of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Ankara, the distribution of 2,060 food packages donated by the UAE Red Crescent was initiated on Wednesday.
The packages will be distributed in the provinces of Şanlıurfa, Kilis and Adıyaman while there will be another distribution in Ankara next week.
Enes Gerem of the Deniz Feneri (Light House) Association spoke to Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview about the UAE’s relief efforts.
"A truck filled with aid material from the UAE Red Crescent has reached our province (Şanlıurfa) through the UAE Embassy in Türkiye. The aid mainly consists of dry foods," he said.
Reiterating that a flood disaster had also struck southeastern Şanlıurfa following the massive earthquakes, Gerem said: "These Ramadan packages will therefore be distributed to both our local citizens as well as our refugee guests. We are undertaking our tasks in this regard and hope to complete the distribution in the next 4-5 days."
The UAE sent at least 9,940 tons of aid materials via 240 cargo planes and two ships as part of its Chivalrous Knight 2 operation.
Operation Chivalrous Knight 2 focuses on recovery and rehabilitation in support of those affected by the quakes in Syria and Türkiye.
More than 50,000 people were killed in the deadly quakes in Türkiye, according to official figures.
The quakes also killed around 6,000 people in Syria, as per U.N. figures.
Furthermore, an Emirati field hospital was established in Türkiye's southeastern Gaziantep province, which spares no effort to heal the wounds of people affected by the massive earthquakes.
A medical team from the UAE arrived in Türkiye on Feb. 9, three days after the quakes hit, and their field hospital began operating on Feb. 12 in the town of Islahiye.
The hospital comprises of 20 doctors with various specialties, including general physicians, pediatricians, surgeons, intensive care physicians, anesthesiologists and orthopedists, in addition to a laboratory and an X-ray department.
In addition to the field hospital in Gaziantep, since the first day of the earthquakes, the UAE opened a second field hospital in Hatay's Reyhanlı district, named Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Field Hospital, and includes 200 beds, 20 intensive care units and two operating rooms.
Whlle the field hospital in Gaziantep was handed over to the health ministry, the one in Reyhanlı continues to be operated by the UAE.
Moreover, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, came to Türkiye and visited the quake-hit areas in February.
The UAE president was among the first world leaders to extend condolences to Türkiye in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 6 and instructed his country's army, ministries, a foundation and a charity to deliver humanitarian aid to the country.
On Feb. 7, he announced the UAE would deliver cash aid of $50 million to Türkiye. The UAE Red Crescent also launched a two-week aid campaign to collect donations for Türkiye and Syria, while the flagship carrier Emirates launched an air bridge between Dubai and Istanbul for relief delivery operations.