 "A Dost Indeed: How India is going above and beyond to help earthquake-hit Turkey")
India has gone above and beyond to help its ‘dost’ Turkey after a series of earthquakes devastated the country this week. A sixth flight from India carrying rescue personnel, essentials, and medical equipment reached Turkey on Thursday (9 February), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed in a tweet. India was among the first countries to rush to the country’s aid when the 7.8 magnitude quake hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, the area home to 13.5 million people, on Monday (6 February). The death toll in these tremblor-affected nations has crossed the 20,000 mark. Around two dozen countries, including India, have sent search teams to Turkey and some to Syria to aid in rescue and relief operations. New Delhi also dispatched C-130 transport aircraft with medical supplies to Syria’s Damascus earlier. What aid has India provided to Turkey so far? What does India’s prompt response mean? Let’s take a closer look. India’s assistance to quake-hit Turkey A six-year-old girl was rescued by the Natural Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Turkey’s Gaziantep city. Sharing the visuals on Thursday, Union home minister Amit Shah praised the rescue team, saying the government is committed to making NDRF the “world’s leading disaster response force”.
Proud of our NDRF.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 9, 2023
In the rescue operations in Türkiye, Team IND-11 saved the life of a six-year-old girl, Beren, in Gaziantep city.
Under the guidance of PM @narendramodi, we are committed to making @NDRFHQ the world’s leading disaster response force. #OperationDost pic.twitter.com/NfvGZB24uK
The NDRF is well-trained and equipped as per the international standards which enables it to respond to transnational disasters, “integrate itself with local as well as other international responders if required and get to work immediately”, Kuldip Singh, a retired Brigadier from the Indian Army, wrote for The Quint. ALSO READ: Dogs are being sent to Turkey and Syria after the earthquake. How will they help? Dubbed ‘Operation Dost’, India has so far sent over 250 trained personnel, search and rescue (SAR) teams, specialised equipment and a 30-bed field hospital – a mobile medical unit – with experts and medical equipment to Turkey, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. India’s ‘we care’ stance was also exhibited in a picture posted by the Indian Army where a Turkish survivor could be seen kissing the cheek of an officer involved in relief efforts. On Thursday, Bagchi shared a video from a field hospital in Hatay’s Iskenderun of medical specialists of the Indian Army working “24x7” to assist the injured.
The Indian Army team of medical specialists is on the job 24x7, providing relief to those injured.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 9, 2023
🎥 Some glimpses from the Field Hospital in Iskenderun, Hatay. #OperationDost pic.twitter.com/3hrVP2ZeaM
“This field hospital in Hatay, Turkiye will treat those affected by the earthquake. Our team of medical & critical care specialists and equipment are preparing to treat emergencies,” Jaishankar had said on Wednesday. These medical teams are also equipped with X-ray machines, ventilators, oxygen generation plant, cardiac monitors and equipment, The Print reported. Another video posted by the MEA spokesperson on Thursday showed NDRF personnel deployed in Antakya city seeking missing and trapped people under the rubble of the collapsed buildings.
Specialised Search and Rescue teams of @NDRFHQ are working round the clock at Nurdağı.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 10, 2023
Another team deployed at Antakya to augment the ongoing earthquake relief efforts. #OperationDost pic.twitter.com/oXm8NTXpsp
India was swift to act when the powerful quake hit Turkey, dispatching the first C-17 Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft with a specialised SAR team, a highly-skilled dog squad, as well as medical supplies in the wee hours of Tuesday. By Tuesday afternoon, IAF’s three C-17 Globemaster aircraft had left for Turkey, while another C-17 Globemaster with an additional Army medical team on board flew in the evening. The 101 NDRF personnel that left on Tuesday were split into two teams and deployed at Nurdagi in Gaziantep province and Urfa, two worst-hit regions by the earthquakes, NDRF director general Atul Karwal had told PTI. On Wednesday, another team of 51 NDRF personnel flew to Turkey to join the two other teams already deployed there. NDRF DIG (Operations) Mohsen Shahidi had told Indian Express earlier that each team consists of five women rescuers, a doctor and paramedics. Soon after the earthquake, prime minister Narendra Modi had expressed anguish and asked officials to offer all possible assistance to Turkey. Expressing gratitude, Turkey’s Ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, had said in a tweet earlier, “‘Dost’ is a common word in Turkish and Hindi… We have a Turkish proverb: ‘Dost kara günde belli olur’ (a friend in need is a friend indeed). Thank you very much India.”
"Dost" is a common word in Turkish and Hindi... We have a Turkish proverb: "Dost kara günde belli olur" (a friend in need is a friend indeed).
— Fırat Sunel फिरात सुनेल فرات صونال (@firatsunel) February 6, 2023
Thank you very much 🇮🇳@narendramodi @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @MOS_MEA #earthquaketurkey https://t.co/nB97RubRJU
The MEA’s statement further underscored New Delhi’s position to rush humanitarian aid: “India stands committed to extending all possible support to those affected by this devastating earthquake. Operation Dost is India’s latest expression of being a first responder, a net security provider, and a country whose Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) response is quick and available to countries not only in the neighbouring region but also beyond". ALSO READ: Who are the White Helmets, the Syrian heroes rescuing earthquake victims from the rubble? India’s ‘soft power’ on display Experts point out that the rapid response by India to help earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria shows its ‘soft power’. Seshadri Chari, the former editor of Organiser, wrote for ThePrint, “Soft power approach is the ability to reach out to people and countries abroad without using coercion. Humanitarian assistance is yet another tool of soft power.” Outlook’s foreign editor Seema Guha noted in her article that India scrambled to help Turkey despite Ankara being critical of the Modi government’s action to withdraw Kashmir’s special status.
#OperationDost
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) February 9, 2023
We Care.#IndianArmy#Türkiye pic.twitter.com/WoV3NhOYap
Moreover, the response also shows that India is “no longer a net recipient of humanitarian aid, but has transitioned to a position of being a ‘provider of assistance in international disasters’”, Brigadier (retired) Singh wrote for The Quint. “In turn, this position potentially allows India to leverage its Disaster Management (DM)/HADR operations abroad for furthering Indian interests particularly regionally, and thereby, secure both its interests through ‘soft power’”, he added. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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