Türkiye draws strength from the international solidarity it received in the wake of the catastrophic Feb. 6 earthquakes that leveled thousands of buildings and killed tens of thousands across its southeast, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Thursday.
"We have a saying, ‘United we stand stronger’ and we believe in this. I know this saying is also used in many European countries. Now, we see all of humanity, all nations, standing with us and this gives us strength, support and morale," Çavuşoğlu told a luncheon for the ambassadors of European Union members to Ankara.
Our primary agenda for this event was the recent earthquakes, which claimed the lives of people from other countries as well, the minister added.
"We have experienced a disaster that led to the major loss of life and destruction in our republic's history. It is an extraordinary natural disaster in European history as well," he said.
Calling for joint action on issues threatening humanity, the country's top diplomat said that Türkiye has been "the most charitable country in the world according to its national income," as it "stood by everyone in need of help."
Recalling his participation in the recent G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi and the 5th U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Qatar's capital Doha, Çavuşoğlu said: "We have seen that all countries – from the most developed to the least developed countries – are on our side."
"This is of course connected to not just the scale of the disaster but also the kindness the world feels for Türkiye," Çavuşoğlu emphasized. "The EU, EU states, candidate countries and all institutions have a big share in this solidarity."
From the first moment the disaster struck, ministers and officials from across the world visited earthquake-stricken Türkiye while the EU deployed emergency aid and search and rescue were dispatched to the country immediately, the minister said, thanking all countries for their solidarity visits and support.
"We will continue our rehabilitation in cooperation with the EU," the minister said, pointing to the international donor conference the European Commission and the term president Sweden will be hosting in Brussels next week.
"Help from the EU wasn’t just limited to official aid. We can see support from the people of member states and candidate nations that make us happy, including our citizens and fellow Turks living in Europe," Çavuşoğlu explained.
"This humanitarian bond is extremely important for Türkiye," the minister asserted.
Türkiye is a significant country in Europe, Çavuşoğlu stressed, arguing that the earthquakes "reminded us once against not only of our neighborly relations, friendship and alliance but also our human bonds."
"I hope this spirit will carry into all aspects of Türkiye-EU relations in the upcoming period. Regional and international developments show how important our unity is in the global plan," he concluded.
Condolences, donations, rescuers and humanitarian relief poured into the region from around the world ever since magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes claimed over 46,100 lives across 11 Turkish provinces and at least 5,800 more in neighboring Syria.