The handover ceremony was held at Hatay Stadium in Antakya, the capital of Hatay province which was one of the Turkish localities badly affected by the earthquake. Hatay is also the locality where rescue force of the Vietnam People’s Army has undertaken the rescue mission.
Present at the ceremony were Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Do Son Hai, Ambassador Hakan Cakil who represents the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of the National Coordinating Agency of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
Addressing the ceremony, Major General Pham Van Ty, deputy chief of the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue, expressed hope Turkey would soon overcome the consequences of the recent earthquake.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Hakan Cakil expressed his deep gratitude for the support of the Vietnam People’s Army in recent times, noting the donation would contribute to helping the Turkish people overcome difficulties and losses.
Medical supplies donated by the Vietnamese side will be quickly delivered to local hospitals and medical support centers to support the treatment of patients affected by the earthquake, he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 20 visited international rescue workers, including those of the Vietnam People’s Army who were taking part in a rescue mission in earthquake-hit Hatay province.
The President thanked the rescue forces of Vietnam and other countries for their tireless efforts to support search and rescue after the earthquake disaster in Turkey.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tremors rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6, killing more than 46,000 people, mostly Turkish people.
The Ministry of Public Security decided to dispatch a 24-member contingent of police officers to Turkey to assist with rescue work there. The contingent of police officers accomplished the mission and returned to Hanoi on February 19.
The Ministry of National Defence later also decided to send 76 soldiers and officers to support recue work in Turkey. The rescue force is scheduled to return to Hanoi on February 23.
