YEREVAN. - US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern welcomed Armenia’s step to offer earthquake relief to Turkey.

“Armenia has great experience in eliminating the effects of quakes, and that step is welcomed,” the American Ambassador stated during a press conference on Thursday.  

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 thanked all those countries, including Armenia and Israel, which had offered to render assistance.