Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel referred to New Delhi as 'dost' (Hindi for friend) after the Centre decided to send relief and humanitarian aid to the quake-hit nation 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.
In a tweet late Monday night, Sunel said: "'Dost' is a common word in Turkish and Hindi... We have a Turkish proverb: 'Dost kara gunde belli olur' (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much."
On Tuesday, India dispatched the first batch of humanitarian aid along with a rescue team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Turkey.
Taking to Twitter, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said: "India's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilites in action.
The 51-member NDRF team headed by Deputy Commandant Deepak Talwar left from the Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad for Turkey on board an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.
On Monday, the Centre had announced that two NDRF teams comprising 100 personnel with specially trained dog squads and necessary equipment were ready to be flown to Turkey for search and rescue operations.
According to the government, medical teams were also being readied with trained doctors and paramedics with essential medicines.
As of Tuesday morning, the toll in Turkey stood at 2,921, while in Syria it increased to 1,451.
--IANS
ksk/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
You’ve hit your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Quarterly Starter
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online
Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app