Turkey Donates Medical Equipment to Macedonia Amidst COVID-19 Situation

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Dimitrov accepted on Wednesday at the Skopje International Airport a donation of medical equipment arriving from Turkey. The donation that arrived on a military plane included 50,000 medical face masks, 1,000 body suits, 1,000 testing kits and other medical equipment, and was handed over to Dimitrov by the Turkish Ambassador to Macedonia Mehmet Sekizkok. “We’re gathered here to accept a donation from the Turkish people. Along with the medical equipment, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also sent us a beautiful message, saying that there’s a lot of hope in hopelessness and a lot of light in the darkness,” Dimitrov said, proceeding to read an excerpt from a letter sent by Erdogan in which he congratulates Macedonia on its accession in NATO. Turkish Ambassador Sekizkok pointed out that with the medical aid, President Erdogan and the Turkish people also send their love and hopes that the donation will make a difference in the fight against the coronavirus. The Turkish Embassy in Skopje also came out with an announcement in which it informs that it provides assistance to Turkish citizens for their repatriation from Macedonia to Turkey, and that so far 4 busses transported these citizens via Bulgaria. In meantime, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov informed that Bulgaria is also ready to provide medical equipment to Macedonia if requested. “It’s easy to call someone friend, but when people are dying, we must take action. I’ve made arrangements for a hundred medical suits to be distributed to healthcare workers in North Macedonia, who are on the frontline,” Borissov underlined, adding that Bulgaria can provide Macedonia with 100 medical bodysuits.