The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the 8th MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, Australia) Consultation Meeting held in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 9.
"On this occasion, I represent the DPR RI and the Indonesian people to express my deep condolences for the earthquake that occurred in Turkey last February," Maharani noted in a statement received here, Friday.
The House speaker also prayed for those that lost their lives in the earthquake and for the injured to recover soon.
"I am sure the Turkish government and people will bounce back even stronger after this," Maharani remarked.
She stated that Indonesia had provided humanitarian assistance to Turkey by sending a Search and Rescue (SAR) team and Emergency Medical Teams as well as by establishing field hospitals, including deploying 250 personnel and five Indonesian aircraft.
"Beyond that, 17 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Indonesia have also assisted in post-disaster mitigation in Turkey," she remarked.
She affirmed that the delivery of aid from Indonesia was the largest humanitarian mission that Indonesia had deployed abroad so far.
Indonesia was honored and happy to be able to help Turkey because when Indonesia was affected by a disaster, Turkey was always the first to come forward to assist, she emphasized.
"Including the 2004 Tsunami in Aceh, the 2018 earthquake in Palu, and during the COVID-19 outbreak of the Delta variant in 2021," she noted.
On behalf of DPR RI, she stressed that Indonesia would help Turkey in the post-earthquake handling stages, including the reconstruction phase.
"I brought the vaccine and tetanus serum according to the request of the Turkish government," she noted.
In addition, the assistance that came from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Health, and other communities comprised 5,773 blankets, 200 sleeping bags, 20 foam mattresses, 100 jackets, seven platoon tents, 4,160 doses of tetanus vaccine and 300 serums, and tens of generator sets.
Maharani noted that the disaster that struck Turkey reminded of the need for cooperation from all countries in taking preventive steps to anticipate disasters and strengthen post-disaster mitigation measures.
"May God help the post-earthquake handling efforts in the affected areas. President Joko Widodo and I are committed to always assisting Turkey in all phases of post-disaster mitigation, including the reconstruction phase," she concluded.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira K, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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