ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday thanked Lebanon for its support after the massive Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye, which have claimed the lives of more than 43,500 people.

"We really thank all Lebanese people and our brothers and sisters for this solidarity and support," Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bouhabib, and Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamie in the capital Ankara.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

"Lebanon sent five search and rescue and medical teams. They sent a team of 120 people in total," Cavusoglu said.

He added that 16 Lebanese people died in the earthquakes in Türkiye.

"We will overcome this with the opportunities of Türkiye and the support of the international community and friendly and brotherly countries," Cavusoglu said.

About the bilateral relations with Lebanon, he said Türkiye has historical ties with Lebanon, and the stability and peace of Lebanon is "very important" for Türkiye.

Bouhabib, for his part, said Lebanon helped Türkiye despite its limited opportunities.

"We know that Türkiye was with us in our difficult times," he added.

Hamie also reiterated that Ankara stood by Lebanon in difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Now is the time. We are also sad, but we are also rushing to help because of the earthquake that hit some parts of Türkiye and Syria," he said.