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Russia calls for cooperation between Syria, Turkey in dealing with quake aftermath

Two powerful 7.7-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. The Russian side stresses the importance of establishing practical cooperation between Damascus and Ankara to deal with the aftermath of the February 6 devastating earthquakes, Russian presidential envoy for the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Tuesday at a meeting with the leader of the Syrian opposition’s Moscow Platform Qadri Jamil.

"Special attention was focused on the humanitarian situation in Syria. The Russian side stressed the necessity of establishing practical cooperation between Damascus and Ankara to address the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake, which hit both neighboring countries," the Russian foreign ministry said after their meeting.

The sides also discussed the problems of a comprehensive settlement in Syria on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolution 2254.

Two powerful 7.7-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in ten provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria. According to the Syrian health ministry, the death toll from the quake on government-controlled territories has climbed to 1,414. As many as 2,349 people were injured and taken to hospitals. In Turkey, the quakes claimed more than 32,000 lives and more than 80,000 people were injured.