On Tuesday, February 7, India, as promised, sent relief and humanitarian aid to the quake-hit Turkey where more than 4,300 people died in the aftermath of a devastating 7.8-magnitude quake that struck an area close to the Syrian border. Turkey’s Ambassador to India Firat Sunel referred to New Delhi as ‘dost’ (friend) after the Indian Air Force plane landed in Turkey carrying NDRF personnel, dog squads and specialised equipment to help in rescue efforts.
While reporting on India’s efforts to assist the disaster-stricken nation, several media houses including One India, Firstpost, News 18, Zee News, Free Press Journal, Hindi daily Jagran etc reported that Pakistan has denied airspace to Indian Air Force aircraft travelling to Turkey early Tuesday morning.
These reports quoted News 18 as reporting that the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams that have already landed at Turkey’s Adana airport with modern drilling equipment, medics and rescue dogs, had to take a detour because Pakistan denied permission for the flight to use its airspace.
However, it was found that Indian aircraft did not fly through Pakistan to get to Ankara. It is believed that the Indian establishment never sought authorization from Pakistan’s aviation authority to send their military aircraft via their airspace.
India’s first global news network, Wion News quoted Turkey’s ambassador to India, Firat Sunel as telling its Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal that he had “no information” of Indian military aircraft being denied access to Pakistani airspace.
On Tuesday, India dispatched the first batch of humanitarian aid along with a rescue team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Turkey.
The shipment consisted of an expert National Disaster Response Force search and rescue team, including both male and female personnel, highly-skilled dog squads, an array of medical supplies, advanced drilling equipment, and other crucial tools required for the aid efforts.
After the Indian aircraft carrying the relief materials reached Turkey, the disaster-hit nation thanked India for its humble gesture.
First batch of earthquake relief material along with NDRF’s special search & rescue teams and trained dog squats just arrived in Türkiye.
— Turkish Embassy-New Delhi/Yeni Delhi Büyükelçiliği (@TurkEmbDelhi) February 7, 2023
Thank you India for your support and solidarity.
🇹🇷 🇮🇳@PMOIndia @MEAIndia @MFATurkiye @AFADTurkiye https://t.co/nLkXfLkqHZ
The country’s Ambassador to India Firat Sunel referred to New Delhi as ‘dost.’ Taking to Twitter, Firat Sunel said, “Dost is a common word in Turkish and Hindi… We have a Turkish proverb: “Dost kara günde belli olur” (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India.”
“Dost” is a common word in Turkish and Hindi… We have a Turkish proverb: “Dost kara günde belli olur” (a friend in need is a friend indeed).
— Fırat Sunel फिरात सुनेल فرات صونال (@firatsunel) February 6, 2023
Thank you very much 🇮🇳@narendramodi @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @MOS_MEA #earthquaketurkey https://t.co/nB97RubRJU
The aid was immediately dispatched after the PM’s office Monday announced in a press release that 2 NDRF teams with 50 personnel each with trained dog squads for rescue operations, relief materials and necessary equipment will be immediately despatched to Turkey. In addition, medical teams with trained doctors, paramedics and essential medicines will be sent too.
On Monday, three major earthquakes struck Turkey causing massive damage to infrastructure and killing over 4,300 people as per the latest figures. The 7.8 magnitude quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks that destroyed huge areas of major Turkish cities in the region, which was home to millions of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war and other conflicts.
