The president of the Bosniak National Council (BNV) in Serbia requested medical help from Turkey to fight the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday.
Jasmine Curic sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in which she urgently requested medical staff.
Curic said the Sandzak region, especially Novi Pazar city, was facing shortages in combatting COVID-19.
She said that the situation in the region has been very serious for the past 10 days.
"Considering that you are always extending a helping hand to those in need, I am once again requesting urgent help for Sandzak. What we need most is the support of health care workers," said Curic.
Serbia has reported 13,235 coronavirus cases and 263 deaths.
Earlier, Turkey sent two trucks carrying medical supplies to Serbia's Novi Pazar.
As the fight against the pandemic continues, Turkey has come to the forefront as a humanitarian leader while still maintaining its domestic success against the coronavirus. Almost two-thirds of the world have requested medical supplies from Turkey in their fight against COVID-19 and nearly half of these requests have been met.
Turkey’s aid packages mostly include medical masks, protective overalls and gloves, as well as disinfectants. All equipment is produced at military-owned factories and at sewing workshops that produce uniforms and other clothing for the army.
Turkey is the third-largest provider of medical aid in the world, Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kıran said Monday, reflecting on his country's entrepreneurial and humanitarian understanding of foreign policy.
Speaking via video link at a session of the Fourth Brussels Conference on regional approaches to the coronavirus, Kıran said that Turkey has helped 131 countries worldwide during the pandemic.
Domestic battle
In addition to Turkey’s efforts for global solidarity, its domestic measures in the battle against the pandemic have been applauded by different sectors of the public.
Most recently, international students in central Turkey praised the country Wednesday for its efforts in battling the novel coronavirus.
Students from various countries who are studying at Hitit University in Çorum province preferred to remain in Turkey rather than return home.
The university administration is taking care of their needs while the students continue their education online.
Saba Alsammarrie, an Iraqi student, said: "Unfortunately, Iraq is going through a tough time due to the virus. Health services are not enough for the people, and the virus cases are not being shared with the public. In Turkey, hospitals and doctors are very reliable."
"Our friends who went to Europe for the Erasmus student exchange program also regret this decision and wish they had stayed in Turkey. In Europe, they don't even dare go to the hospitals," she added.
Bismillah Azimi from Afghanistan has been living in Turkey for three years and studies economics at Hitit University.
"The university administration took great care of us. I could've returned to Afghanistan, but I knew I would be safer here in Turkey. They provided us with everything we need," he said.
Mamat Isa, a student from Cameroon, said they are lucky to be in Turkey.
"Turkey has taken extensive measures against the virus. For that reason, it made a lot of sense to stay here. Thank God I am in Turkey," he said.
The university's rector, Dr. Ali Osman Özturk, said there are 257 international students from 33 countries at Hitit University.
Some students who went to Europe for the Erasmus exchange program wanted to come back due to a lack of adequate health services there and the process to bring them back to Turkey is still ongoing, he said.
"Our international students trusted us and our government and stayed here. We are doing everything we can to keep them comfortable. University personnel and the administration are working hand in hand to meet their every need," Özturk added.
