Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Rabi-ul-Sani 29, 1429    

Red Crescent week celebrations

Karachi—Common rehabilitation and training programmes between Pakistan and Turkish Red Crescent societies have been initiated. This was stated by the Consul General of Turkey in Karachi, Erdem Mutaf, here on Monday.

He was speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the Red Crescent Week celebrations in Sindh. The Consul General further stated that common teams for Disaster Response, Disaster Management and Disaster Logistics have been established. He pointed out that these programmes would be carried out until 2010. Mutaf also spoke of the long, brotherly ties between Turkey and Pakistan.

He was sure that these ties would continue to grow further with the passage of time. The Consul General pointed out that Turkey was the first to respond to devastating earthquake which affected the northern parts of Pakistan in October 2005.

Turkish Red Crescent team reached the affected areas on the second day after the quake.

‘As the Turkish Red Crescent and other relief organizations learned a lot during the devastating earthquake which happened in the vicinity of Istanbul in 1999, they shared their experiences about disaster management, training and preparation process with their Pakistani brethren’, he added.

Mutaf said that the Turkish nation which was aware of Pakistani assistance during the Istanbul earthquake has widely supported the campaign initiated by the Turkish Crescent Society.

According to record more than three million people contributed to this campaign only through the Turkish Red Crescent but at the same time there were many other campaigns in Turkey for the same purpose.—APP