Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar Al-Assad spoke over the phone on Tuesday, January 7 and agreed that Armenia will send food and other aid to Syria as a priority.

The Prime Minister, on behalf of himself and the Government of the Republic of Armenia, conveyed condolences to the President and people of friendly Syria in connection with the large number of victims and destruction caused by the chain of earthquakes that occurred on February 6. Nikol Pashinyan wished a speedy recovery to all the injured and noted that Armenia is planning to support Syria to be able to ease the difficult living conditions of the earthquake-affected population and eliminate the consequences of the disaster.

Bashar al-Assad thanked for the solidarity and noted that the primary issue facing them at the moment is related to food.

An agreement was reached that Armenia should send food and other types of aid to Syria as a priority.

The President of Syria thanked for the assistance to be provided and expressed hope that with the help of the Republic of Armenia it will be possible to overcome the severe consequences of the earthquake as quickly as possible.

The death toll of a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers worked against time in harsh winter conditions to dig survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings, Reuters says.