Visiting NATO chief expresses solidarity with quake-hit Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a joint press conference in Ankara, Trkiye, on Feb. 16, 2023. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced the bloc's solidarity with quake-hit Trkiye on Thursday, saying that the alliance conveyed Trkiye's demands to "all the allies." (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced the bloc's solidarity with quake-hit Trkiye on Thursday, saying that the alliance conveyed Trkiye's demands to "all the allies."

"I am here to show that NATO stands in solidarity with Trkiye," Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

His visit came after massive earthquakes hit the country on Feb. 6, saying it was the biggest disaster in NATO territory since the political and military alliance was established

The quakes have killed at least 36,187 people, and injured 108,068 others in the country, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said in a statement on Thursday.

"NATO allies continue to provide support the day after the earthquake. Aircraft allocated from the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom are carrying aid non-stop. Fundraising campaigns were organized in all NATO countries. These are a symbol of our solidarity," the secretary general said.

The Turkish minister, for his part, welcomed the alliance's fast response to support Trkiye after the quake. "Thank you for your solidarity and support," Cavusoglu said.

Ankara has asked NATO for aircraft to transport humanitarian assistance to the quake zone in Trkiye, especially thousands of tents for accommodation of quake victims in the region, the minister explained.

The aircraft will deliver nearly 20,000 tents provided from Pakistan, Cavusoglu said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a joint press conference in Ankara, Trkiye, on Feb. 16, 2023. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced the bloc's solidarity with quake-hit Trkiye on Thursday, saying that the alliance conveyed Trkiye's demands to "all the allies." (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a joint press conference in Ankara, Trkiye, on Feb. 16, 2023. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced the bloc's solidarity with quake-hit Trkiye on Thursday, saying that the alliance conveyed Trkiye's demands to "all the allies." (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)