The Greek Ambassador to Turkey and Greek rescuers were awarded by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their contribution to humanitarian efforts after the powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people.
In a special ceremony held in Ankara, Turkey, President Erdogan awarded an honourary medal to a representative of the Greek rescue team, Thomas Krikelis, who was accompanied by the Greek Ambassador Christodoulos Lazaris.
The Turkish President also presented the Greek Ambassador and the Greek embassy with an honourary plaque, thanking them for their crucial contribution to the rescue work.
“Today we are awarding medals to domestic and foreign search-and-rescue teams who made sacrifices during the February 6 earthquakes,” Erdogan said.
A total of 55,000 people, who became “the symbol of the struggle” after the earthquakes, were honoured with medals.
Stressing that the earthquakes were one of the “most devastating” natural disasters not only for Turkey, but also in the history of mankind, Erdogan added: “We pray that neither our country nor any other country in the world will face disasters like the one on February 6. We don’t want anyone else to go through what we experienced.”
Erdogan said 11,320 rescuers from 90 countries arrived in Turkey after the earthquakes and 60 countries and international organisations sent about 250,000 tents to house the affected.
“We know all our real friends,” Erdogan stressed.
“We will continue our efforts until the wounds are healed and the traces of the earthquake are completely erased.”
Source: Ekathimerini.
