ANKARA

In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity, Thailand donated over $757,000 to help the victims of the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6 and killed more than 50,000 people.

At a donation ceremony at the headquarters of The Turkish Red Crescent in the capital Ankara on Thursday, Thailand's Ambassador Apirat Sugondhabhirom handed over the aid of $757,347.

This donation, in addition to previous emergency assistance of $300,000 sent by the Thai Red Cross Society, aimed to provide immediate aid and support to those affected by the earthquakes.

With this recent donation, the Thai Red Cross Society has contributed a total of $787,347 to the Turkish Red Crescent Society.

This gesture of friendship and support reinforces the longstanding partnership between the two organizations within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Sugondhabhirom said addressing the ceremony.

As the recovery process continues in Türkiye, the Thai people stand in solidarity with the Turkish people, he said, adding we are "confident and hopeful that the resilient Turkish people shall rebuild and rise up ever stronger in the near future."

The Royal Thai Government extended a helping hand by providing an initial humanitarian aid of $150,000 to Türkiye. Also, the Thai National Urban Search and Rescue Team, comprising 42 members and two rescue dogs, embarked on a mission in Türkiye's southern Hatay province from Feb. 10 to 17 in cooperation with the Turkish agencies, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and international search-and-rescue teams.

Additionally, the Royal Thai Family extended their support by arranging two special flights through the Royal Thai Air Force, delivering vital humanitarian aid to the affected regions.

These flights transported a significant quantity of essential supplies, including tents, duvets, winter sleeping bags, power generators, dried food, milk, and drinking water, amounting to an approximate total of 22.35 metric tons

Thailand's contributions and humanitarian assistance efforts were recognized by Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who awarded Ambassador Sugondhabhirom and Lerpong Suansang, team leader and representative of the Urban Search and Rescue -Thailand Team, with the ceremony of the presidential medal and order of distinguished humanitarian service in late April.