The Turkish Red Crescent is establishing regional logistics centers in neighboring countries to supply aid to disaster-hit areas more rapidly, a top official has said.
Operating in a wide area, from Central Asia to the Caucasus, the relief organization has been establishing warehouses to support logistics during emergencies, Deputy Director General Alper Küçük told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Küçük said that the first such warehouse was set up in Bulgaria, in cooperation with the Bulgarian Red Cross. Materials enough to serve 2,000 victims in case of an emergency were stocked at the store, he added.
"We have also established similar facilities in Iraq and Georgia," he said. "We are trying to expand [our efforts] further across the Balkans," he said, citing potential natural disasters affecting the region. "So, it is quite important to deliver supplies to a disaster-hit area in the Balkans very quickly," he added.
The Turkish Red Crescent also plans to set up logistics warehouses in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia next year.
