The mayor of a quake-stricken city in southern Turkey has thanked a Japanese medical team for its assistance.
The team has treated more than 850 sick and injured people since it arrived in Gaziantep on February 14. The city's hospital was badly damaged by the earthquakes that struck the region three weeks ago.
Mayor Fatma Sahin visited the Japanese team on Monday. The medical professionals work in tents that are equipped to handle surgeries and childbirths.
The Japanese Ambassador to Turkey, Suzuki Kazuhiro, accompanied the mayor.
Sahin told the ambassador that the Japanese team is working extremely hard. She also said that she had never seen a medical facility with such advanced equipment.
The mayor pledged to rebuild the city. She added that the Japanese medical team's activities will go down in the history of the friendship between the two countries.
Ambassador Suzuki said Japan and Turkey have a common destiny in that they both stand on top of seismic zones and must live with earthquakes. He promised that Japan will support Turkey as it struggles to overcome the pain and sorrow of the disaster. Suzuki added that Tokyo will help Ankara build a more resilient nation and society.