Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez awarded a “Medal of Heroism” to a Turkish citizen for rescuing 38 people trapped under rubble following the country’s twin earthquakes.
The ceremony at the Jorge Luis Garcia Carneiro Stadium saw Rodriguez honor İbrahim Eser, while also recognizing the nation’s security and emergency response units. Officials recognized 30,000 personnel involved in the recovery efforts, acknowledging their coordination during the crisis. Eser also served as a critical source of information, sharing footage with the Anatolia news agency from the initial moments of the disaster to inform the global community about the devastation.
“Your uniforms carry more dignity and a greater prestige than ever because in this joint effort carried out with a total of 30,000 personnel to respond to the earthquake disaster, you fulfilled your duty properly and at the highest level,” Rodriguez said.
Prior to the event, Rodriguez encountered Turkish Ambassador Naci Aydan Karamanoğlu during the opening of a tent city established by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). Acknowledging Eser’s extensive involvement in distributing humanitarian relief, the interim president personally approached him to express her gratitude. “I follow you and your actions online, and I thank you for everything,” Rodriguez said. She then told her team that Eser deserved an award. Eser later received a phone call from the Presidential Palace requesting his identification details before receiving the official invitation.
Meanwhile, Eser said the interim president broke her usual protocol of offering simple greetings by holding his hand and addressing him by name during the ceremony. Top government officials, including the interior, foreign and defense ministers, attended the event, greeting the Turkish citizen with words of gratitude.
“What you did is an honor and a source of pride,” Rodriguez said.
Eser responded by affirming their ongoing commitment to the relief efforts. “The honor is ours, and we will continue to work exactly as we did on the first day,” Eser said.
