First ladies from all corners of the world continued to voice solidarity with Türkiye after deadly earthquakes that affected 10 provinces in the country’s south.
In separate phone calls with first lady Emine Erdoğan, Jordanian Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Azerbaijani first lady Mehriban Aliyeva expressed condolences for those who lost their lives in the earthquakes and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
"The grief of the Turkish people is our grief," Aliyeva said on Twitter.
Erdoğan said Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to rush to Türkiye's aid at this difficult moment. "Thank you for your support. It's nice to know that our friends are with us."
For her part, first lady Olena Zelenska of war-hit Ukraine tweeted on Monday, "Despite our own tragedy, our thoughts and prayers are with Türkiye today. Deaths and suffering of thousands of people – indescribable pain."
Mentioning Erdoğan in the tweet, she added, "We are here for you and ready to help in any way possible. My condolences to those affected by the tragedy. Ukraine is with you."
Erdoğan responded by expressing Türkiye's gratitude for Zelenska's condolence message and support, saying, "We are facing pain beyond words. I have no doubt that, with unity and solidarity, we will overcome this together."
In a separate tweet on Thursday, Zelenska said Ukraine shared the pain of Türkiye's losses and was doing everything possible to help overcome the "terrible consequences" of the earthquakes.
Uzbekistan's first lady Ziroatkhon Hoshimova also conveyed her condolences to Erdogan, as did Maria Begona Gomez Fernandez, the wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, expressing her sadness and solidarity with Türkiye.
"We are deeply shaken by the enormity of the tragedy. Our hearts go out to the earthquake victims, their families and rescue teams," she added.
Martine Moise, the wife of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise, said on Twitter that the prayers of Haiti were also with Türkiye, especially those affected by the earthquake tragedy.
