ANKARA - The U.S. President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on Monday expressed their condolences for victims of an earthquake in Italy, which left more than 150 people dead earlier in the day.
Obama, who has been on an official visit to Turkey, and Gul held talks at the presidential palace in Ankara before they held a joint press conference.
Both leaders started with expressing their condolences for the victims of the quake, and said they shared the sorrow of the Italian people. "We want to send our condolences to the families there and hope that we are able to get rescue teams in," Obama emphasized.
According to Italian press, at least 150 people were killed in the quake near Rome and many more are feared trapped in the rubble.
-Cihan