ArmInfo. I express my condolences in connection with the earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria, I wish fortitude to the families and friends of the victims and a speedy recovery to the injured. RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on February 7 at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock .
"Despite the complexity of relations and the situation, Armenia extended a helping hand and expressed its readiness to provide humanitarian assistance to both Turkey and Syria. We, as a nation that faced a devastating earthquake in 1988, consider it important that no society be left alone in time of natural disaster," Mirzoyan said.
To clarify what kind of assistance Armenia offered to Turkey, Mirzoyan noted that Yerevan is ready and is discussing the transfer of essential goods to the regions affected by the earthquake in both Turkey and Syria. "As well as sending a detachment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations to the relevant territories to provide assistance on the ground," Mirzoyan stressed.
In most of southern Turkey and northern Syria, the rescue operation continued all night after two powerful earthquakes, which killed more than 5 thousand people. According to rescuers, the death toll in Turkey by Tuesday morning had risen to 3,419. Another 20,534 people were injured. As a result of the earthquakes, 5,775 buildings collapsed. In neighboring Syria, at least 1,602 people were killed. New estimates put the total death toll at over 5,000.
There are about 10 Armenians among those killed in the earthquake.