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Erdoğan: Turkey Will Never Forget International Solidarity to Help Earthquake Recovery. PHOTOS/Anadolu Agency
ANKARA – Turki will never forget the solidarity shown by European Union (EU), UN, and other international organizations after the 6 February earthquake. This was stated by the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday (20/3/2023).
“We will never forget the solidarity shown by all our friends, the European Union with its institutions, member states and candidates, by the United Nations, and other international organizations, in these difficult days,” Erdogan said, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Erdogan virtually addressed the opening session of the International Donor Conference, organized by the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the European Union Council to support victims affected by the devastating earthquake in southern Türkiye.
“This conference is another example of how strong the ties between our peoples are,” he said. According to Erdogan, the estimated cost of the destruction caused by the earthquake is about USD 104 billion. “There is no way that any single country can overcome a crisis of this magnitude alone,” he continued.
On February 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck 11 provinces — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa — in southern Turkey, and claimed the lives of at least 50,096 people .
More than 13.5 million people in Turkey were affected by the devastating earthquake, as well as many others in northern Syria. “Currently Turkey hosts more than 4 million refugees, including 3.5 million Syrians,” Erdogan said.
“Today, as we heal the wounds of this century’s catastrophe in our country, we stand in solidarity with the Syrian people affected by the earthquake,” he continued.
“We provide the necessary facilitation for third parties and other countries to send humanitarian aid by land and air to the earthquake victims in Syria. We will continue this attitude in the future,” Erdogan added.
(esn)
