Turkish Ambassador: Bulgaria Was a Neighbour, Now It Is Blood Brother

UPDATED Turkish Ambassador: Bulgaria Was a Neighbour, Now It Is Blood Brother

Ambassador Aylin Sekizkok in Kardzhali (left), March 8 (BTA Photo)

Kardzhali, Southern Bulgaria,

08.03.2023 13:13 | UPDATED 08.03.2023 14:33

(BTA)

Tags

QuakesTR

"Until today, Bulgaria was a neighbour and now it is a blood brother," Turkish Ambassador Aylin Sekizkok said during a visit to the southern town of Kardjali Wednesday. She visited a local facility that collects donations for the quake-hit areas in Turkiye and personally thanked the staff who have been sorting, packing and loading the donations ever since the first quake struck in February.

The Ambassador also thanked the truck companies that have been helping to take the aid to where it is needed, free of charge.

"Turkiye is a large country but we were unable to manage with this ordeal. We needed help and Bulgaria was the first country that rushed to help. On behalf of the Turkish people, I offer my gratitude to President Rumen Radev and the people of Bulgaria," the diplomat said.

She explained that the topmost task now is the reconstruction of the buildings and finding homes for the people that remained without shelter.

She said that 200 TIR trucks with aid have been sent to Turkiye and USD 2 million has been raised in the accounts opened by the Turkish embassies for donations.

Kardjali Region alone has raised some BGN 750,000 and another BGN 230,000 has been raised by the Chief Mufti's Office, said Kardjali Mayor Hassan Azis.

During her visit to Kardjali, the Ambassador will also visit a daycare centre and attend a Turkish language class there.

She gаve the Kardjali Mayor the key to a mobile medical unit as a donation on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic. It is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and will be used for medical checkups in 117 settlements in the region. A campaign for checkups begаn March 8 in the villages of Most and nearby Miladinovo and Konevo are next. The checkups are being done by local medics with physicians from Turkiye also expected to join them.

In Most, Ambassador Sekizkok met with the people who came to be examined and also talked to women meeting in a community centre on the occasion of the International Women's Day.

/DD/