Collapsed houses in Antakya, Turkey, after the earthquake, February 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine)
BEIRUT — A Lebanese ministerial delegation led by caretaker ministers Abdallah Bou Habib and Ali Hamiyeh, respectively in charge of foreign affairs and public works, presented their condolences to Turkish authorities after the deadly earthquake that devastated Turkey and northern Syria and killed more than 46,000 people in early February.
In a statement posted on its Twitter account on Thursday, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the delegation arrived in Ankara and met with diplomatic chief Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The delegation "expressed its condolences on behalf of the head of government [Najib Mikati] and the Lebanese people, for the victims of the destructive earthquake," the tweet said.
Their meeting with Cavusoglu lasted more than two hours and focused on the earthquake and its consequences, in the presence of the Lebanese ambassador to Ankara, Ghassan Moallem, the Foreign Ministry added.
For his part, Cavusoglu offered his condolences to the Lebanese who died in the disaster, which numbered 16.
According to the statement, Cavusoglu also "thanked Lebanon, its government and its people for standing by Turkey in this tragedy and its initiative to help Syria in this humanitarian crisis."
The deadly Feb. 6 earthquake has caused a humanitarian crisis and left many people displaced in makeshift camps. The World Health Organization estimates that 23 million people in Turkey and Syria are "potentially at risk, including about five million vulnerable people," and fears a major health crisis that could cause more damage than the earthquake itself. Humanitarian organizations are particularly concerned about the spread of cholera, which has reappeared in Syria.