Turkey ready to extend helping hand to Greece following earthquake

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday stated that Turkey is ready to extend a helping hand if needed in response to the earthquake in Greece’s Larissa.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 has struck central Greece. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The quake was felt as far away as in the capitals of neighboring North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

Speaking during a joint press conference with Çavuşoğlu in the capital Ankara, Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani also voiced support for Athens.

Athens and Ankara showed similar solidarity and pledged mutual aid after strong quakes shook the Aegean region in October last year.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had called President Tayyip Erdoğan, offering condolences after a strong earthquake hit both countries, killing civilians in the western Turkish city of Izmir.

“Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,” Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter.