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Venezuela's interim head of state, Delcy Rodriguez, presented "Venezuela Hero" medals to foreign search-and-rescue teams that responded to the country's twin earthquakes, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Rodriguez visited the port of La Guaira, in the coastal region hit hardest by the disaster, where the foreign rescue teams had been based.
She was joined by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez.
Among those honored were Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Mehmet Bahtiyar and Haluk Onay Erten, deputy provincial director of Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Denizli province.
Six dogs from the Turkish rescue team, credited with playing a key role in locating survivors in the rubble, received Venezuela's "Hero Dog" medal.
A separate thank-you message from Rodriguez to Türkiye was delivered to Türkiye's ambassador to Caracas, Naci Aydan Karamanoglu, who attended the ceremony.
Karamanoglu said Rodriguez had thanked Türkiye's president and the Turkish people for the country's support since the earthquakes struck, and that Venezuelan officials had also expressed hope such a disaster would not happen again. He described the inclusion of the rescue dogs in the ceremony as "a beautiful moment."
The "Venezuela Hero" medal was created to recognize foreign search-and-rescue teams deployed after the earthquakes, which killed 2,645 people, injured more than 12,000 and left about 15,000 homeless, Venezuela's information ministry has said.
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