ASTANA – Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), sent 50 tons of humanitarian food to Syria, which has been reeling from the consequences of the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, the IOFS press service reported on Feb. 11.
IOFS Director General, Yerlan Baidaulet (L) personally flew to Syria to oversee the cargo delivery Photo credit: IOFS press service
Kazakhstan sent canned food, warm clothes, winter tents, beds, and bedding from its state reserve. The humanitarian aid is being delivered to the city of Aleppo in four flights by the National Guard of Kazakhstan.
The IOFS Director General, Yerlan Baidaulet, on the instruction of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, personally flew to Syria to oversee the cargo delivery.
Deputy Governor of Aleppo Abdel Qader Dawaalibi, Director of Aleppo Airport Mohammed Al-Masri, representatives of the Syrian Red Crescent Samir Shubuki, Ahmad Samoun, Anas Samaa, as well as the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Lebanon Rasul Zhumaly participated in the ceremony of transferring assistance to the Syrian side at the Aleppo airport.
Speaking on behalf of the hosting side, the Deputy Governor of Aleppo, Abdel Kader Dawaalibi, expressed his deep gratitude to the people of Kazakhstan. He emphasized that the Kazakh people will never be forgotten for sharing the burden and helping under challenging times.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of all the earthquake victims in Syria, Turkey, and other countries. Our team hopes the situation will be resolved as soon as possible and expresses heartfelt gratitude to the brave rescuers for their hard work,” said Baidaulet.
President Tokayev instructed his government to assist Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 8. In addition, three units of Kazakh rescuers are on the ground in the affected areas to help Turkish specialists extract victims from the wreckage.
The death toll in Türkiye and Syria has already surpassed 21,000 people, and the numbers are expected to rise as many people remain trapped under collapsed buildings.
