[…] Meanwhile, all the flags at the NATO Headquarters were flying at half-mast on Tuesday in solidarity with Turkey. Ironically, the tweet refers to Turkey as an ‘ally’ and not a member. Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952 at the height of the Cold War, opting to side with its friends in the West instead of then-Soviet Union. The humanitarian assistance from NATO is yet to arrive in Turkey and probably may not reach Syria.[…]
India has sent emergency relief consignment consisting emergency medicines and equipment including portable ECG machines, patient monitors and other essential medical items to Syria through the Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment. The ongoing conflict and geopolitical constraints make it difficult for relief material to reach the needy in Syria. It is all the more important for New Delhi to establish contacts with the Syrian and other international disaster relief agencies to help the needy in remote areas as well.
India’s assistance to Turkey and Syria in the face of a natural calamity of such a great magnitude is part of the country’s tradition of providing humanitarian assistance without expecting returns or following a quid-pro-quo policy. India even proclaimed in the UNGA that “Nations can and indeed must, cooperate to find collective and cooperative solutions to the challenges that disasters represent”. Läs artikel