Erdogan thanks Putin, other leaders for aid in combating wildfires in Turkey

ANKARA, August 3. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as well as a number of other world leaders, for support and assistance in fighting wildfires. "In the name of my country, I would like to express special gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez for their unwavering support since the first moment [of emergence of wildfires]," Erdogan said in his Telegram channel Tuesday. He also thanked the leadership of Iran, Qatar, Croatia and Ukraine for "strong support." "In the name of my people, I would like to say ‘thank you’ to all friendly countries and organizations, who expressed their condolences, their readiness to help, who sent us aid. I hope that we will overcome this difficult period shortly," he said. He also published an infographic with flags of over 70 countries and 10 international organizations that Turkey expresses its gratitude to. Large-scale wildfires sparked in the republic six days ago, covering a number of coastal resort regions, including Mugla and Antalya provinces. Although firefighters were able to localize most hotspots, the combat with fire continues. According to the Turkish Disaster And Emergency Management Presidency, eight people have died, and over 850 people have suffered from the disaster. Read more