TEHRAN -- A third shipment of humanitarian aid provided by Iran has reached Turkey.
An Iranian plane carrying aid consignments touched down at the airport in the south-central Turkish city of Gaziantep, Ashkan Mousavi, director-general of public relations at Iran’s Red Crescent Society (IRCS), tweeted.
Pir-Hussein Koulivand, head of the IRCS, has also traveled to Turkey to examine the situation of quake-hit people from up close.
Footage from Koulivand’s trip to Turkey showed him being embraced by his Turkish counterpart Karam Kinik, who expressed emotional gratitude to the Islamic Republic for the humanitarian assistance.
“We have felt Iran by our side whenever we have faced a problem,” Kinik said, noting that Iranian relief teams were among the first to rush to Turkey’s assistance in the aftermath of the devastating quake.
“The Turkish people are grateful for these services and efforts,” he said, adding, “We thank God for having brothers like you.”
Speaking on Sunday, Koulivand said the third round of the Islamic Republic’s aid shipments for Turkey weighed more than 55 tonnes, and was to be sent to the country on board four transport planes that belong to the Iranian Air Force.
The shipment, he added, included 1,000 makeshift tents, 1,000 quilts, and three rescue vehicles, which were flown to Turkey along with 60 specialized Iranian rescue workers.
According to Koulivand, the Islamic Republic is ready to send more aid consignments on the request of the Turkish Red Crescent Society.
The Islamic Republic has also delivered at least six batches of aid consignments to Syria so far.