Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez presented the 'Hero of Venezuela' medal to foreign teams that participated in search and rescue efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck the country.
Rodríguez visited the Port of La Guaira, where international search and rescue units deployed in the hardest-hit area were stationed. The ceremony was also attended by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.
During the ceremony, Brigadier General Mehmet Bahtiyar, Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade, and Haluk Onay Erten, Deputy Provincial Director of AFAD in Denizli, were awarded the 'Hero of Venezuela' medal. Additionally, six Turkish search and rescue dogs that played a critical role in locating survivors under the rubble were honored with the special 'Hero Dog of Venezuela' award.
Rodríguez conveyed a message of thanks to Turkey through Turkey's Ambassador to Caracas, Naci Aydan Karamanoğlu. Ambassador Karamanoğlu said the following about the ceremony:
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodríguez presented medals to the leaders of the search and rescue teams, including the Turkish team from our country. She also conveyed a letter of thanks and a medal of appreciation to our state and our President. We will send this award, along with our team, to be delivered to our President. Another touching moment of the ceremony was the recognition of our dogs that worked alongside the rescue teams in the disaster zone. Their significant contributions were also appreciated.
Karamanoğlu noted that Rodríguez specifically asked to convey her gratitude to the President of Turkey and the Turkish people, and said, 'She emphasized that Turkey has stood by Venezuela since the first hours of the earthquake and expressed deep gratitude for the support provided. We hope Venezuela never experiences such a tragedy again, but we have always stood by the Venezuelan people during these difficult days.'
The 'Hero of Venezuela' medal was specially created to honor foreign search and rescue teams that participated in mitigating the consequences of the devastating earthquakes in the country.
