New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Cyclists (CIC) in collaboration with the Turkish Embassy organised a cycling event in the national capital on Sunday in honour of 'Operation Dost'.

The event was attended by Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel, NDRF teams and rescue teams which had gone to Turkey for Operation Dost during the earthquake participated in the event.

Turkish Ambassador Firat Sunel said that 'Operation Dost' was a huge success and this occasion reflects the sentiments of the deep understanding between the two nations.

While speaking to ANI, Ambassador Sunel said, "This is the bicycle tour of friendship in order to honour Operation dost as representatives from the operation are here. On this occasion, we would like to express solidarity with the victims in Turkey and the Indian nationals who suffered there".

He further stated that 'Operation Dost' was a very successful operation and he thanked the people of India for their contributions to it.

"Operation Dost was a very successful operation as it started immediately. The first 48 hours after the earthquake are very important and they responded on an immediate basis," he said.

"I thank the Indian Government and the Indian people who sent tonnes of blankets. This is a sign of friendship between Turkey and India. We are dost and dost help each other," he added.

On this occasion, NDRF Commandant Praveen Kumar Tiwari told ANI, "Our team was the first responders. The situation was worse. 8-Storey buildings were destroyed. We tried our best to rescue the people who were stuck under the rubble and also recovered dead bodies from there. Our operation was a self-sufficient operation and we tried our best to win the hearts and minds of the people of Turkey".

India launched 'Operation Dost' to aid in search-and-rescue in Turkey and Syria following deadly earthquakes that struck on February 6.