The Turkish Red Crescent has delivered emergency supplies to Sri Lanka, which has been hit by floods and landslides caused by heavy rain since last week. In a statement issued Monday, Turkey's largest humanitarian organization said that tents, blankets and solar kits were delivered Sunday to Sri Lankan officials.

Speaking at the delivery ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lankan Minister of Disaster Management Anura Priyadarshana Yapa thanked Turkey for its "meaningful" help, which he said was sent a time when the latter was already hosting over 3 million refugees, the statement said.

Yapa recalled that the Turkish Red Crescent had built 250 homes in the country in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, and said that Sri Lankans can never forget Turkey. The Turkish ambassador to Colombo, Tunca Özçuhadar, for his part, said that Turkey shared Sri Lanka's pain and the relief materials would be delivered to the victims as soon as possible.