Minister of Health and Social Protection Alen Šeranić expressed hope that the 430 tons of humanitarian aid from Republika Srpska to Turkiye would at least to a certain extent help the people to live through difficult moments after the catastrophic earthquake.
At the see-off of the convoy of 20 semi-trailer trucks transporting the donation from the Government of Srpska from Bijeljina to the logistics center in Istanbul, Šeranić said that all activities were coordinated with Turkiye, the Embassy in Sarajevo and the Consulate in Banjaluka in order to know exactly what was currently necessary for the affected population.
Humanitarian aid includes food with a longer shelf life, blankets and diapers.
“I also talked to the Turkish consul /Oguz Kilic/ about the necessary help in the medical staff, they say that for now there is no need for it, but Republika Srpska is ready to send teams of doctors to provide support to the Turkish people in that way,” Šeranić told reporters in Bijeljina.
The minister praised activities of the Red Cross of Republika Srpska and the Red Crescent from Turkiye, which coordinated the activities to ensure that aid reaches Istanbul, from where it will be distributed according to the needs of the population.
The sending off of the humanitarian convoy from the setting of the Sava Semberija factory in Bijeljina was also attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska Savo Minić who stressed that the aid was timely and that it was a matter of real needs for affected areas in Turkiye.
“We are grateful to everyone who took part in this action and showed that Republika Srpska today feels like part of a larger whole in the world,” Minić said.
Secretary General of the Red Cross of Republika Srpska Rajko Lazić stated that the value of this donation was more than BAM 1.4 million.
Assistant to the head of the delegation of the Turkish Red Crescent in Bosnia and Herzegovina Amina Kurtagić pointed out that crises always brought people together and showed solidarity in the world.
“We are grateful to the Government of Srpska, which, through the structure of the Red Cross, really set aside a significant donation for the people of Turkiye, and it is worth pointing out that it is certainly one of the most significant donations that has come from this country so far and will serve the people who in 30 seconds were left with nothing,” said Kurtagić.
20 trucks with humanitarian aid for the areas affected by the earthquake left Republika Srpska for Turkiye today.
Massive earthquakes hit Turkey on February 6, and the death toll has exceeded 44,000 people.
The quakes were also felt in neighboring countries, mostly in Syria, where several thousand people died.
Source: srna.rs
Photo: srna.rs
