Turkish President awards Azerbaijani diplomat for country's assistance initiatives after fatal 2023 earthquake

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Ankara has been presented with an award by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in acknowledgment of the country's quick response in lending a helping hand in the aftermath of the devastating 2023 earthquake that hit the south of Türkiye.

The award was given to Ambassador Rashad Mammadov during a ceremony that was held on February 6 to commomerate the second anniversary of the deadly 2023 earthquake, Caliber.Az reports citing local media. 

When presenting Mammadov with the award, President Erdoğan expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for being among the first countries to send aid, including aircrafts, following the devastating earthquake.

"On behalf of myself and my nation, I extend my deepest gratitude," Erdoğan stated.

As Caliber.Az recalls, Azerbaijan became the first country to dispatch a search and rescue team to the region, consisting of almost 900 personnel and several rescue dogs. In order to assist with the reconstruction efforts, the Azerbaijani government is financially supporting the construction of a residential district in Kahramanmaraş, called the “Azerbaijani Quarter.”

Several powerful tremors with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 occured on February 6, 2023 with their epicenter in the Southern province of Kahramanmaraş. They were felt in 11 Turkish provinces and neighboring countries. The devastating earthquakes lasted 105 seconds and caused an immense damage to the areas. 

They have claimed a total of 53,537 lives only in Türkiye and injured over 107,000 people while over 39,000 buildings were destroyed in the South of the country. The immense toll of lives lost in the catastrophe has led Turkish authorities to refer to the earthquake as Türkiye's "disaster of the century."

By Nazrin Sadigova