Western Thrace Turks compete with each other to help earthquake victims
Due to the earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 affecting 11 provinces in total, cognates participated intensively in the aid campaigns launched across Western Thrace.
15 trucks and 4 truckloads of aid materials collected in the in-kind aid campaign, which was initiated under the leadership of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board Chairman and Komotini Mufti İbrahim Şerif and ended on Monday, 13 February, were sent to Türkiye.
"Western Thrace Muslim Turks wanted to be with their motherland"
In his statement to the AA correspondent, Şerif thanked the Turks of Western Thrace for their great interest in the aid campaigns and stated that the campaign is still continuing.
"Our people shed their tears for the earthquake area. Our people's prayers were for the people who were damaged by the earthquake." Sharif said, emphasizing that the Muslim Turks of Western Thrace want to be with their motherland, both materially and spiritually. Underlining that the compatriots are almost competing with each other in aid, Şerif said that 15 trucks and 4 truckloads of in-kind aid were sent to the earthquake zone from Western Thrace.
"Western Thrace Turks acted with the thought 'How can I contribute?'"
Mustafa Trampa, Mufti of Xanthi, said that the entire minority experienced great sadness because of the earthquakes. "How can I contribute?" Trampa stated that the collected aid materials were sent to Türkiye under the coordination of the Consul General of Komotini, Aykut Unal.
Trampa underlined that they carried out the campaign launched in Xanthi with the contributions of fellow MPs Hüseyin Zeybek and Burhan Baran, and said:
"Our financial aid campaign continues. People come to us by watching television and asking what more can be done. On the one hand, this makes us happy, it is an expression of our commitment to our homeland. We are obliged to do this in return for the moral support we have felt until today, when we stayed here under the guarantor of our homeland. We see."
"Your help is invaluable to us"
Türkiye's Consul General to Komotini, Aykut Unal, conveyed his thanks in Turkish, Greek, and English to the Western Thrace kinsmen and the Greek people in the video he shared on social media. Noting that throughout the country, public and educational institutions and non-governmental organizations have started campaigns to collect financial and in-kind aid, Ünal said, "Infinite thanks to our friends and compatriots who were with us during this process and collected and delivered aid by forcing all their means."
Ünal said in Greek: "Your help is very valuable to us, thank you."
