New Delhi: Seeking to underline India’s role as an early responder following the massive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on February 8 said six plane loads of personnel and material amounting to over 140 tonnes were sent to the two countries where the death toll neared 12,000.
According to an MEA statement, the Government of India dispatched six tons of emergency relief assistance through a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force to Syria.
Charge-d-Affairs of India handed over the consignment to Syria S. K. Yadav to the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment of Syria, Moutaz Douaji, at Damascus Airport on February 8.
Turkey has welcomed India’s gestures. The consignment sent to Syria consists of emergency medicines and equipment, including portable ECG machines, patient monitors and other essential medical items.
“India has been extending humanitarian, technical and developmental assistance to Syria through bilateral and multilateral channels over the years. Consignments of food and medicines have been supplied to Syria from time to time, including during the pandemic”.
Two Artificial Limb Fitment Camps (Jaipur Foot) were organised in Syria in December 2020 and recently in October-November 2022. A Next-Gen Centre for Information Technology was set up in Damascus in October 2021. About 1500 scholarships have been provided to Syrian students to study in India in diverse streams, the MEA said.
Sources said India had deputed more than 250 personnel, specialised equipment and other relief material amounting to more than 135 tons to Türkey on 5 C-17 IAF aircraft.
The search and rescue teams in Turkey include three self-sustained National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 150 specially-trained personnel and dog squads.
“Their equipment allows for detection, location, access and extrication of people trapped under collapsed structures. The NDRF teams are rendering assistance in rescue operations at Gaziantep,” the statement read.
A team of government officials, including two who can speak Turkish, have also been deployed to assist the teams involved in rescue and relief operations.
Turkey’s Ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, has said that ‘Operation Dost’ is a “very important operation” and demonstrates the friendship between the two nations.
Firat Sunel made the remarks at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad, from where Indian Air Force’s C17 Globemaster aircraft, with the NDRF team, medical equipment, and relief equipment, took off for Turkey, as part of the ongoing ‘Operation Dost.’
He said, “Operation Dost is a symbolic operation. It already proves that we are friends. We have to deepen our relations.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed that all possible assistance be extended to the affected people.
In pursuance of this, Operation Dost was launched to provide necessary support in Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts and medical assistance. This has involved a whole-of-government approach with coordination among various agencies.
Regarding Indians stuck in Turkey, sources said the embassy is ascertaining their well-being. The embassy has also set up a help desk.
