The event was also attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko, the Head of the State Emergency Service Serhii Kruk, the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to Ukraine Yagmur Ahmet Guldere, and representatives of various SES units.
On behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked the entire Service and each rescuer personally for the great mission they perform every day for the state and the Ukrainian people.
“You are always the first to come to the rescue in the most difficult situations. And this was especially evident during the terrible bloody war that is being waged in Ukraine today. You are right behind the military. In any dangerous situation, you are the first to go,” the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament said in his greeting speech.
According to him, Ukrainian rescuers are always ready to lend a helping hand not only to Ukrainians, but also to fraternal countries where disasters occur.
“I would like to thank our rescuers for the mission that they honourably carried out in Turkey. Despite the fact that there is a war in Ukraine, you, as representatives of the great Ukrainian people, have demonstrated the best qualities and the highest level of support for our friends. A friend is recognised in difficult situations. And you were those friends who came to the aid of the brotherly Turkish people,” Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, reminded the audience that the SES consists of 7,200 employees who are involved in the performance of their duties every day. And, according to him, it is a difficult service, sometimes with irreparable consequences for the lives and health of rescuers.
“You extinguish fires, clear away rubble, and save people after horrific and senseless bombings by the enemy. And, unfortunately, your fight in the rear and on the front line has losses. As of today, we have lost 67 employees of the State Emergency Service, more than 200 rescuers have been injured, and 13 people have been killed while conducting humanitarian demining to help our people return to their homes. We lost 1,575 vehicles and 371 SES buildings. But we are still fighting... I want to say thank each of you. You are our heroes. Thank you for your service! Glory to Ukraine!” Ihor Klymenko stressed.
For his part, the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to Ukraine Yagmur Ahmet Guldere thanked everyone who responded and helped the Turkish people when they were in great trouble.
“Our countries have suffered disasters that no other country has ever experienced. But both our countries and our people are determined to overcome all difficulties. As the saying goes, “a friend in need is a friend.” In 2021, Ukraine sent helicopters and personnel to extinguish unprecedented forest fires. We remember their excellent work well,” the Ambassador said, adding that Turkey also came to Ukraine’s aid last year without delay and continues to do so.
According to him, the friendship between the two nations was especially evident during the terrible earthquake, when the Ukrainian state and people, despite their troubles, again came to Turkey’s aid.
“The State Emergency Service sent two aircraft, 18 units of special equipment and a team of rescuers with dogs to the disaster site. Human life is the highest value. And thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Ukrainian team, we managed to save our citizen. This assistance will become an eternal symbol of friendship between our peoples. On behalf of the Turkish state and people, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each of the 87 members of the SES team for their excellent work,” Yagmur Ahmet Guldere said.
Before the award ceremony, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called on the audience to hold a minute of silence to honour the memory of all those who died during the bloody Ukrainian-russian war and the terrible earthquake in Turkey.
In addition, after the award ceremony, the participants of the event inspected emergency rescue, special and fire rescue vehicles with auxiliary equipment, a mobile hospital and a mobile life support complex. According to SES Head Serhii Kruk, all the equipment is used daily to rescue people, extinguish fires, de-mining and other activities where the assistance and skills of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are required.