Thirty tonnes of humanitarian aid sent from Türkiye aboard two military cargo aircraft arrived in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that struck the country.
The aid was received at Simon Bolivar International Airport by Türkiye's Ambassador to Venezuela, Naci Aydan Karamanoglu, and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil.
Karamanoglu said Turkish institutions had made "great efforts" in response to the twin earthquakes, praising the dedication of Turkish search-and-rescue teams deployed to Venezuela for two weeks.
"Venezuelan authorities and the Venezuelan people speak highly of our teams' work. This appreciation has also been reflected in the local media, with reports highlighting how professionally and selflessly the Turkish teams carried out their mission.
"For this reason, I would like to sincerely thank the Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) and the Turkish Red Crescent personnel," he said.
Karamanoglu recalled that Venezuela had sent search-and-rescue teams to Türkiye after the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes, known as the "disaster of the century."
"They demonstrated great courage and dedication by standing alongside our people. As of today, they have completed their mission, and we are sending them back home.
"The two aircraft that arrived to bring our teams home also delivered around 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Venezuela," he said.
Aid includes tents and medical supplies
The latest shipment includes 275 large tents supplied by AFAD, equipment to establish temporary camps and nearly seven tonnes of medical supplies and medicines.
"We had previously provided humanitarian assistance through AFAD, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Turkish Red Crescent. With this shipment, we have further expanded our support.
"We will continue our assistance, and Türkiye will remain by the side of the friendly people of Venezuela," Karamanoglu added.
Gil thanked Türkiye for its solidarity, saying the support carried special significance for Venezuela.
"On behalf of Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, we extend our gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish government, the Turkish people, Türkiye's ambassador and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with whom I have remained in constant contact since the first hours after the earthquake.
"Türkiye, as always, was among the first countries to extend a helping hand from the very beginning of the disaster," he said.
Reconstruction phase begins
Recalling that Acting President Rodriguez had awarded the "Heroes of Venezuela Medal" to Turkish search and rescue personnel, Gil said: "We thank the disaster response brigade that led this effort and Türkiye's highly trained specialists, who worked hand in hand with us during the search and rescue operations. We cannot find words to express our gratitude.
"Today, we are receiving another humanitarian aid shipment. Now, it is time to move on to the reconstruction phase."
The reception ceremony was also attended by Brig. Gen. Mehmet Bahtiyar, commander of the Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade, along with officials from AFAD and UMKE, who were deployed to Venezuela after the earthquakes.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), Venezuela was struck by two earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 just 39 seconds apart on June 24.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimated on June 26 that the earthquakes caused $6.7 billion in direct physical damage.
Search and rescue operations remain underway, with concerns that the death toll and number of injured could continue to rise.
