Vietnamese rescuers honored for efforts in Turkey

SGGPO 24/02/2023 18:47

The Ministry of National Defense on February 24 organized a ceremony in Hanoi to honor the search and rescue team of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) for their efforts to help find victims under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey.

The search and rescue team of the VPA and delegates attend the honoring ceremony. (Photo: SGGP)

The event was chaired by Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Tan Cuong with the participation of General Luong Cuong, Director of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People's Army; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Vietnam Haldun Tekneci; United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis; representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, units, organizations; and 76 members of the search and rescue team of the VPA who safely returned to Vietnam from Turkey on February 23 after completing their mission in the earthquake-hit nation.

Humanitarian aid and emergency relief activities for earthquake victims in Turkey taken by the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) presented the foreign policies and guidelines, and responsibility to the international community of the Party, State, the People and VPA.

Delegates attend the honoring ceremony in Hanoi on February 24. (Photo: SGGP)

During the deployment from February 13-22, the VPA force carried out search and rescue activities in 31 locations and discovered 15 sites where people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Among those places, they found two places with signs of survivors and handed over some sites to the local rescue force to bring 28 dead bodies out.

The Vietnamese team also cooperated with the search and rescue forces of Bahrain and Mexico to discover three locations with 10 dead victims.

They helped three families to move out of the dangerous areas to safe places and provided medical services and treatment to seven rescue workers from other countries. The rescue team also presented nearly 25 tons of medical aid to Turkey.

Members of the search and rescue team of the VPA (Photo: SGGP)

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Vietnam Haldun Tekneci extends his gratitude to the search and rescue forces of Vietnam. (Photo: SGGP)

On February 20, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had a meeting with the VPA’s search and rescue team to express his sincere thanks for helping Turkey to overcome quake consequences as well as highly appreciated search and rescue operation results of the Vietnamese force.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Vietnam Haldun Tekneci extended his gratitude to the search and rescue forces of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense for their outstanding contribution to making all efforts and overcoming difficulties and challenges to help Turkish people, offering rescue equipment to assist Turkey presenting a good bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Major Le Duc Tai, Deputy Head of battalion 93 of the Army Corps of Engineers speaks at the meeting. (Photo: SGGP)

Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Tan Cuong honors relevant agencies and units for their spirit of responsibility and preparations for the trip of VPA’s team. (Photo: SGGP)

On behalf of the mission team, Major Le Duc Tai, Deputy Head of the battalion 93 of the Army Corps of Engineers said that following the command from their hearts, officers from the VPA immediately joined search and rescue activities for victims right after arriving in Turkey.

Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Tan Cuong honored the relevant agencies and units for their spirit of responsibility and preparations for the trip of VPA’s team.

He praised the solidarity, effort, and performance of the rescue delegation in cooperation with the local rescue forces of Turkey and other nations to look for earthquake victims as well as participating in Humanitarian aid and emergency relief activities.

It is the first time that the Ministry of National Defense and the VPA delegated emergency response teams to take part in disaster relief activities. The humanitarian relief and search and rescue operations taken by the Vietnamese delegation presented the foreign policies and guidelines, and responsibility to the international community of the Party, State, the People, and VPA, he emphasized.

The search and rescue team of the VPA and delegates attend the honoring ceremony. (Photo: SGGP)

On this occasion, the Minister of National Defense decided to present certificates of merit to 76 members of the VPA team and proposed the Prime Minister offer certificates of merit to four teams and seven individuals for their great achievements.

Additionally, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union awarded certificates of merit to 22 individuals; the Vietnam Red Cross Society handed over certificates of merit to eight organizations.