Armenia and Turkey have agreed to accelerate the process of dialogue to finally open the border between the countries, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.
“Concrete agreements have been reached. There is a decision to speed up the process of dialogue to finally open the border between Armenia and Turkey,” Mirzoyan said at a government meeting on Thursday, presenting the results of his February 15 visit to Turkey.
According to him, an agreement has also been reached to open the Armenian-Turkish border for citizens of third countries and holders of Armenian and Turkish diplomatic passports before the start of the tourist season.
The minister also said that Armenian rescuers sent to Turkey will return home through the land border on Thursday.
For his part, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the republic’s actions to help Turkey are exclusively humanitarian in nature.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to criticize us, because I cannot imagine a situation where millions of people in a neighboring country need help and someone can be indifferent. This is unacceptable,” Pashinyan said.
On the other hand, he said, Armenia emphasizes the need to change the quality of relations in the region.
“I regret that a certain change is taking place in the face of such a tragedy. But perhaps human tragedies make people more understandable to each other. This is an objective reality. I hope it can become a new starting point for establishing relations between Armenia and Turkey,” Pashinyan said.
He also said that the preliminary design of the reconstruction of Ani bridge on the border between Armenia and Turkey is ready.
The number of victims of a powerful earthquake in Turkey has reached 38,044, the disaster management agency (AFAD) reported.
“The death toll from last week’s powerful earthquakes in southern Turkey has reached 38,044 people,” AFAD cited Anadolu Agency as saying.
Earlier, 35,418 deaths were reported.
“Al Jazeera” reports that the death toll in Syria is still 5.8 thousand, so the number of earthquake victims in both countries exceeded 43.8 thousand.
According to the channel, another earthquake occurred on Friday night in southern Turkey in Hatay province: this time with a magnitude of 5.1.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred in Turkey on the night of February 6, followed by a series of aftershocks, one of which had a magnitude of 7.6. These tremors caused serious destruction and casualties in the country, as well as in neighboring Syria.
The earthquake that occurred this week, according to the latest data, killed 21,848 people in Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.
It notes that the figures were announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The day before it was reported about 20.2 thousand dead.
According to Western media estimates, the total number of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria has already exceeded 25 thousand people.
A powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria has severely damaged the Gaziantep fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as many archaeological sites in these countries, local media reported Monday.
Several bastions in the eastern, southern and southeastern parts of the fortress, located in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, were completely destroyed by the earthquake, in the walls of the other bastions were large cracks. The dome and the eastern wall of the mosque, built in the 17th century and located next to the fortress, also collapsed partially.
Fortifications on the site of the fortress first appeared in the Hittite period (1800 1180 BC). Then the fortifications were reconstructed in the II-III centuries AD under the Roman Empire and in the VI century AD under the Byzantine Empire.
In Syria, the citadel of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was damaged in an earthquake. The oldest fortifications of the citadel were built in the 10th century, and it was an important stronghold during the Crusades. In the 13th century the citadel developed into a rich town. Subsequently, the fortress was attacked by the Mongols in 1259 and in 1400 by the conqueror Tamerlane. In 1516 it was taken by the forces of the Ottoman Empire, and since then the military role of the citadel was diminishing.
Cracks also appeared in the walls of the National Museum of Aleppo. Many historic buildings in Aleppo and Hama provinces were damaged.
A powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the aftershocks that followed caused numerous buildings to collapse in several provinces, and earth tremors felt in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
The number of victims of a powerful earthquake in Turkey has reached 8,547, the number of victims exceeded 49,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
“The number of victims of the earthquake with its epicenter in Kahramanmarash province has reached 8,574, with 49,133 people affected and 6,444 buildings destroyed,” Erdogan said, speaking in Kahramanmarash, where he left earlier Wednesday to coordinate rescue efforts. He was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency.
Earlier data were reported of 6,957 dead and 38.2 thousand wounded.
The president also noted that Turkey has involved “all levers and resources” to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake. He stated that the victims can stay in hotels in Antalya, Alanya and Mersin. Also the President announced that all the families of the victims of the earthquake will receive 10 thousand liras (about $530). According to him, new houses will be built in the affected areas within a year.
Erdogan urged to trust only the data on the earthquake zone, which is disseminated by the Emergency Prevention and Response Administration (AFAD).
At the same time, the EFE news agency reported 2,662 victims in Syria. Thus, the total number of victims of the earthquake in the two countries exceeded 11.2 thousand.
On Monday night, a powerful earthquake and ensuing aftershocks caused deaths and significant damage in several provinces of Turkey, as well as in neighboring Syria.
Three ships carrying corn and wheat left Ukrainian ports on Tuesday, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) reported.
“Three ships left Ukrainian ports on January 17, carrying a total of 119,000 tons of grain and other food as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the report said.
Two dry-cargo vessels Kestrel S (26.5 thousand tons of wheat) and Great Arsenal (25.5 tons of wheat) went to Turkey. Navios Helios vessel will deliver 67 thousand tons of corn to China.
Four dry-cargo ships are also on their way to Ukrainian ports, which on Tuesday passed through the maritime humanitarian corridor.
The JCC reported that “77 applications for participation in the initiative have been submitted.” Nine ships are awaiting permission to enter Ukrainian ports, while 24 loaded dry cargo ships are waiting to depart for their destinations.
“As of January 17, the total tonnage of grain and other agricultural products exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 17,757,311 tons. A total of 1,307 dry cargo vessels have been allowed to move so far: 649 to arrive at Ukrainian ports and 658 to leave them,” the JCC summarized.
