Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay pays a visit to Lebanon
A high-level Turkish delegation, including the Vice President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, are in Beirut to show Turkey's support for Lebanon after the explosion that killed at least 157 people in the country's capital.
During their visit, Turkish officials met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
"We assured President Aoun that Turkey is always on the side of Lebanon and its people, and we will provide all assistance, solidarity, and Turkish relief teams have been working from the first moments in the port," Oktay stated.
"We are ready to allocate the Port of Mersin for commerce, customs and storage usage until the Port of Beirut begins operating again," Oktay added.
The delegation has also visited the site of the blast and review the ongoing aid efforts of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and the Turkish Red Crescent.
On Tuesday, two explosions occurred at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The extremely powerful second blast resulted in at least 157 deaths, 5,000 injuries, US$10–15 billion in property damage and an estimated 300,000 people made homeless. (ILKHA)