Azerbaijani FM: Earthquake that occurred in Türkiye is our pain

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the results of his visit to Turkiye's quake-hit Kahramanmaras, humanitarian assistance provided by Azerbaijan, and the evacuation of Azerbaijani citizens during press confidence, Azernews reports.

During the visit, Bayramov visited the Turkish Center of the Emergency Situations Agency and the Regional Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, got acquainted with the large-scale work carried out by AFAD to rescue and evacuate citizens trapped under the rubble, as well as to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake.

Bayramov also visited the field hospital provided by Azerbaijan aimed at helping with necessary medical assistance to the victims and met with Azerbaijani doctors working there. The minister expressed gratitude to the doctors for their efforts in this responsible work.

Bayramov noted the support measures implemented by Azerbaijan from the first day of the disaster on behalf of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, saying that the earthquake that occurred in Türkiye is "our pain".

“Today, people in every region of Azerbaijan bring help from their homes to collection points for brotherly Türkiye,” he said.

The minister noted that thousands of volunteers from Azerbaijan want to come to Türkiye.

“The only reason why they are not here yet is that this is a very complex operation. Starting today, volunteers from Azerbaijan will come to Türkiye and join the ongoing work," Bayramov said.

The official emphasized that the main priority is to save people, to help the wounded, and the next stage will be the return to normal life in all these regions.

He noted that, in this regard, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already said that Türkiye will cope with this within one year.

"President Ilham Aliyev has also stated that Azerbaijan has been near its Turkish brothers and sisters from the first minutes, from the first hours, and will be next to Türkiye during the restoration and construction work," the minister said.

In turn, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that planes with help from Azerbaijan are continuously delivering the tents and other needed supplies.

"We are very grateful for this help. When I expressed gratitude for this, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that there was no need for this, since we are brothers, we are one nation, two states, and Azerbaijan perceives Türkiye's grief and pain as its own own grief and pain," he said.

Cavusoglu noted that in addition to rescue forces and medical assistance, additional tents are sent to Türkiye.

"We are also negotiating with other countries regarding the delivery of tents. We are working shoulder to shoulder. The Turkish people, just like the Azerbaijanis, experienced a sense of pride in Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 second Karabakh war. We know that our Azerbaijani brothers are sharing today’s grief with us," the minister added.