Late last night, the first shipment of humanitarian aid from Greece, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, to support those affected by the earthquake in Syria.

Greek humanitarian aid—a total of 26 metric tons of medicines, medical supplies, and essential items such as tents, folding beds, blankets, and bedding—was transported by air to the Gaziantep hub, from where it will be distributed to northwestern Syria under the auspices of the International Organization for Migration.

As the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection emphasizes in a statement, «Greece was ready to send humanitarian aid to Syria immediately after the devastating earthquake and was among the first countries to respond to the request for assistance submitted by the Syrian authoritiesto the European Civil Protection Mechanism. It remains in constant communication with the EU Mechanism, through which the coordinated and effective provision of assistance by member states to affected areas is ensured, in order to send additional aid.».

The organization and delivery of Greek humanitarian aid through the European Mechanism for Relief and Response to the Needs of Those Affected in Syria were carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

It should be noted that humanitarian aid for those affected in Syria is also being sent by other organizations in Greece.

Three three-axle trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the Municipality of Thessaloniki

Three large three-axle trucks and one smaller truck carrying humanitarian aid, collected by the Municipality of Thessaloniki, are leaving today from City Hall, bound for Turkey to deliver essential supplies to people affected by the earthquakes in the neighboring country. In recent days, 26 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were sent by the Municipality to Pavilion 2 of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (TIF), from where, in cooperation with the Regional Union of Central Macedonia and the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), they were sent to Athens and from there to Turkey.

The mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, spoke about the immediate response from volunteers, citizens, companies, and schools to the municipality’s effort to gather aid, noting that from the very moment the city of Thessaloniki was informed of the major earthquake, there was a massive outpouring of people showing solidarity with a neighboring nation that had been so severely struck by the earthquake.

«Human suffering knows no borders,» said Mr. Zervas, adding: «The City of Thessaloniki, city employees, the military, the Third Army Corps, volunteers, and schools have all been here these past few days, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to collect items, pack them up, and hopefully today send this outstretched hand to those who need it.’.

«This is a disaster rarely recorded in global statistics,» Efe Ceylan, Turkey’s consul in Thessaloniki, expressed his gratitude to the Greek people and the Greek government for their assistance to the earthquake victims in his country. “The Greek people and the Greek government were among the first to rush to our aid immediately after the earthquakes in our country. Many rescue teams were sent to save lives there, and the government, municipalities, schools, companies, and ordinary citizens mobilized immediately to gather aid, and for that we are grateful,” he emphasized.

At the same time, he noted that the friendship between the two peoples became evident during these difficult times, and added: «The two peoples love each other very much. We are very much alike. We have the same habits, the same customs and traditions. If we look at each other’s faces, we look alike. That is what matters, and on that foundation we can build the future.».

This shipment of humanitarian aid will be accompanied to Turkey by Vasilis Moysidis, the municipal councilor appointed by the City of Thessaloniki to handle civil protection matters. He described the current situation as unprecedented, thanked the citizens of Thessaloniki, and praised the enormous contribution of those involved in the effort, working 18 to 20 hours a day, and expressed his hope that the suffering of the Turkish people would come to an end.

The 50 vehicles from the Attica Region carrying humanitarian aid for earthquake victims crossed the border

On their way to their final destination, Raidesto, where the collection centers for humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria are located, are the 50 vehicles from the Attica Region which, this morning, according to the Region, crossed the Greek-Turkish border at Kipoi, carrying essential supplies and medical equipment for the victims.

The head of the mission, which is being carried out as part of the relevant initiative by Attica Regional Governor George Patoulis, in collaboration with the municipalities of Attica (KEDE – PEDA), the «Together We Can» and the Athens Medical Association, is the Deputy Regional Governor for Civil Protection and President of EDSNA, V. Kokkalis, and the delegation also includes the Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board, Chair of the Civil Protection Committee of KEDE and SAP, Vlassis Siomos, as well as officials from EDSNA and the Attica Region.

As a reminder, the humanitarian aid convoy departed yesterday morning from the Peace and Friendship Stadium for Raidesto (Tekirdag) with 50 vehicles from the Attica Region and EDSNA, in the presence of Attica Regional Governor G. Patoulis, the Turkish Ambassador to Athens Çağatay Erciyes, and the Turkish Consul General in Athens Mustafa Somuncu.The humanitarian aid, intended to meet the needs of earthquake victims in Turkey, exceeds 110 metric tons and includes more than 20,000 blankets, 7.5 metric tons of medicine, 5 metric tons of medical supplies, baby diapers, personal hygiene items, and more.

Volunteers are continuing to sort and categorize the supplies donated by citizens, in order to organize a second humanitarian aid shipment to the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

«In a few hours, they are expected to arrive safely at their final destination in Raidesto, where the warehouses containing all the supplies are located, the 50 vehicles from the Region carrying humanitarian aid to support our earthquake-stricken neighbors who are going through such a difficult time. »The process is proceeding smoothly, and at 9:00 a.m. our vehicles crossed the Greek-Turkish border,” Mr. Patoulis stated, among other things.