Turkish FM Cavusoglu thanks G20 counterparts in the aftermath of quakes

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has met with several of his counterparts including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a meeting of Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers in India’s capital New Delhi.

During their meeting, Cavusoglu thanked Lavrov for Russia’s support after last month’s twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Cavusoglu said he also discussed regional issues with Lavrov.

More than 160 Russian rescuers and medical personnel were deployed mostly to Türkiye's province of Kahramanmaras, which was one of the worst-effected areas of the February 6 disaster.

Russian medical specialists such as traumatologists, neurosurgeons as well as anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists also helped treat those who were badly injured by the quake.

A Russian senator, Suleiman Kerimov, also donated 100 million Russian rubles ($1.3 million) to earthquake victims. 

Cavusoglu also held talks with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly and thanked her for Canada’s support after the earthquakes.

“Discussed #NATO enlargement & developments in #Ukraine,” he added.

The Turkish foreign minister later met his Mexican counterpart Marcelo Ebrard.

“Earthquake was on top of our agenda in our meeting,” he said on Twitter, while lauding Mexico’s solidarity after the disaster.

He then held talks with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong which focused on “bilateral relations & developments in #Ukraine.”

Cavusoglu also expressed gratitude for Australia’s support in the aftermath of the February 6 twin tremors that killed more than 44,000 in Türkiye and over 5,800 in neighbouring Syria.

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