At a ceremony in the presidential palace in the Turkish capital city of Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented awards to the representatives of foreign teams who joined the rescue and search operations after the catastrophic earthquake in February. Chief Inspector Petar Petrov from the Plovdiv Fire Department was among those awarded, the special envoy of the BNR in Ankara Nikolay Hristov reported. For the help provided by Bulgaria, a certificate of appreciation was presented to the Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of Interior Affairs, Ivan Demerdzhiev.

Minister Demerdzhiev traveled to Turkey on a Spartan plane of the Bulgarian Air Force, which also transported 3.5 tons of humanitarian aid for the victims of the earthquake. It includes tents, sleeping sets and others.