WGS: Turkish President thanks UAE for support after deadly quake

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thanked the UAE leaders for extending support to the quake-hit country in a video message at the second day of the World Government Summit.

He said the support from the UAE and more than 100 other countries highlighted how the disaster "demonstrated the significance of international solidarity" in a world where humanity faces immense challenges.

"Today, hundreds of millions of friends and brothers from Africa to Asia, the United States to the Balkans, and Europe to the Gulf region are extending their helping hands to us," said Erdogan. 

The Turkish leader cancelled his planned visit to Dubai for the summit after two strong quakes struck his country.

The recorded message was played out to a packed audience led by Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.

Erdoğan also highlighted Turkey's efforts to aid survivors and recover from the disaster amid a rising death toll, calling the earthquakes "not just one of the biggest natural disasters in our country’s history, but also all of humankind’s".

The earthquakes, he said, impacted about 20 million people.

He noted that over 81,000 injured quake survivors have been discharged from hospitals, and more than 8,000 people have been saved from the rubble as search and rescue teams, deployed from all over the world, continue their work to find more survivors.