YEREVAN. – Turkey requested for earthquake relief missions from around thirty countries, which earlier had offered Turkey assistance. These countries also include Armenia, Russia, US, China, Japan, neighboring countries as well as EU. Turkey will also receive aid from Israel. 

Turkish MFA stated that Turkey is prepared to receive international assistance from those countries that had expressed readiness to provide earthquake relief to the country.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, immediately upon hearing the news of the earthquake, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who was on a state visit to the Russian Federation at the time, had sent an urgent message of condolence to his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, and had offered Armenia’s assistance.

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, had said Turkey was capable of surmounting the tremor’s effects on its own, but at the same time he had thanked all those countries, including Armenia and Israel, which had offered to provide assistance.    

But Yerevan has not yet received a formal request from the Turkish side, Ministry of Emergency Situations Press Service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am, noting that, upon receiving the request, Turkey must specify the kind of assistance it needs.