Albanian President Ilir Meta met with Israeli soldiers last week and thanked them for their help following November's deadly earthquake in his country.
Meta was in Israel to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, in Jerusalem, alongside dozens of world leaders.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Albania on Nov. 26 killed 51 people and injured more than 3,000. It also damaged more than 11,000 buildings, leaving as many as 13,000 people homeless.
This was the worse natural disaster to hit Albania since 1979.
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Meta visited the Ramla military base, where he embraced Israeli soldiers and awarded the "Golden Eagle Decoration" – one of his country's highest honors – to the IDF's National Rescue Unit.
(1/2) In appreciation&gratitude for the excellent work in helping our institutions&communities severely affected by the aftermath of the tragic earthquake, I had the honor of awarding the "Golden Eagle Decoration" to the wonderful team of the National Rescue Unit of @IDF.
pic.twitter.com/gzekDY6Urn
— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) January 23, 2020
The 10-man Homefront Command team joined dozens of structural engineers from around the world who were dispatched to assist the quake-stricken nations.
The team, which was assisted by the Foreign Ministry, also advised local authorities on how to manage the disaster, the IDF said at the time.
The Homefront Command has a long history of participating in international aid efforts following earthquakes and natural disasters, most recently sending large teams to assist Mexico following a devastating 2017 quake and Brazil after the Minais Gerais dam collapse.
