By: Hana saada
ALGIERS – The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, held, on Tuesday, phone talks with his Syrian counterpart, Mr. Bashar Al-Assad, during which he reiterated, in his own name and on behalf of the Algerian people, his sincere condolences for the victims of the devastating earthquake which struck the country, indicated a press release from the Presidency of the Republic.
“The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune held, on Tuesday, phone talks with his brother Bashar Al-Assad, the President of the Arab Republic of Syria, a sisterly country, during which he reiterated to him, in his own name and on behalf of the Algerian people, his sincere condolences for the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria, as well as Algeria’s full support and its contribution to alleviate the effects of this tragedy on the brotherly Syrian people”, reads the communiqué.
“For his part, the Syrian President thanked his brother, the President of the Republic, for his noble, fraternal and unwavering position, expressing his gratitude for the intrinsic solidarity of the Algerian people, especially since Algeria was the first country to respond to the call for help. He affirmed, on this occasion, that Syria recognizes, in such circumstances, the positions and qualities of the Algerian people and will not hesitate to ask for help from Algeria, a sisterly country”, concludes the press release.
An Algerian aid aircraft arrived at Aleppo International Airport loaded with 17 tons of humanitarian assistance and carrying specialized teams from the Algerian civil protection to participate in rescue operations following the devastating earthquake that struck the sisterly country, causing countless victims and wreaking terrible infrastructural damage. Besides, a team from the Algerian Red Crescent, made up of paramedics and doctors, set off, Tuesday dawn, for Syria to provide assistance.
In this vein, the Algerian Red Crescent specified that this operation “takes place in application of the instructions of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune” and that “the initiative aims to provide assistance to the brotherly Syrian people who are going through difficult times”.
The operation was supervised by the Minister of the Interior, Local Assemblies and Urban Planning Brahim Merad in the presence of the director general of civil protection Boualem Boughlef, the president of the Algerian Red Crescent Ibtissem Hamlaoui, as well as the Syrian ambassador to Algiers Namir El Ghanem.
On this occasion, the Minister of the Interior, in a statement to the press, emphasized the strong commitment of the Algerian state to international cooperation and assistance, particularly in the face of natural disasters, insisting on the pledge and the personal attention given to this operation by the President of the Republic, who is closely monitoring the situation.
He noted President Tebboune’s willingness for ”Algeria to be at the forefront of the States to arrive in the affected areas to provide first aid to the victims’, explaining that ” the President of the Republic has instructed that all measures should be taken to this effect.”
It is worth mentioning that this outpouring of support from Algeria demonstrates the country’s unwavering commitment to helping its neighbors in times of need and upholding the principles of international cooperation and humanitarian aid. The Algerian people, for their part, have come together in a great wave of national solidarity to help victims of the devastating earthquake. Their hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones or are searching for relatives.