PETALING JAYA - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed Malaysia’s solidarity with Turkey in the aftermath of the massive earthquake that killed more than 41,000 as he visited search-and-rescue teams near the epicentre of the disaster on Wednesday.

Datuk Seri Anwar also conveyed condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister’s personal friend, during a meeting in Ankara.

“I expressed Malaysia’s solidarity as a friendly country during the hard and difficult times, as well as its unwavering commitment, especially in helping Turkish citizens affected by the earthquake,” the Malaysian leader said on Facebook.

“I also informed the President about the assistance that has been provided by the Malaysian government.

“Together, let’s pray that this sad event passes quickly and Turkey recovers.”

Accompanying Mr Anwar on his visit to the Turkish capital were Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Armizan Ali, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Turkey Sazali Mustafa Kamal and Foreign Ministry secretary-general Amran Zin.

Mr Anwar had earlier visited the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep to inspect the disaster site and meet the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team deployed there before his meeting with Mr Erdogan.

Mr Anwar is expected to leave Turkey after his Ankara meeting and arrive in Malaysia on Thursday morning to attend Parliament at Kuala Lumpur’s Dewan Rakyat, as well as a pre-Cabinet meeting with Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK