President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to a conference on reconstruction after two earthquakes that claimed thousands of lives and demolished thousands more buildings. The conference is organized by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and Turkish partner organizations.
Erdoğan told the conference in Berlin on Thursday that they removed all the debris and started reconstruction work in the disaster zone. He said Türkiye hopes to shoulder “the heavy burden with the support of friends like you.”
The extent of the destruction is immense and reconstruction will take many years, the association said, adding that Türkiye is relying on support from German companies. The DIHK also plans to promote the resumption or commencement of joint business activities and to create local employment opportunities.
Some 650,000 new homes will be built in the disaster-hit provinces, Erdoğan said. The president thanked the countries that showed solidarity with Türkiye after the earthquakes.
On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck numerous Turkish provinces, taking over 50,000 lives. Around 14 million people in Türkiye were affected by the quakes as well as many thousands of others in northern Syria.
A total of 872,000 independent units in 311,000 buildings became unusable in 11 provinces while workplaces, agricultural areas, shops and factories were damaged, Erdoğan said. "We are making intensive efforts for life to return to normal in the region. We have removed all the debris. We have swiftly started the construction of permanent housing in areas without earthquake risk." He added that Türkiye will gradually deliver the houses starting this fall and complete the construction of 319,000 houses within the first year after the earthquakes.
"We will deliver them to the rightful owners. Our goal is to build a total of 650,000 houses. We're determined to make our cities safer and more resilient than before." "The cost of the earthquake to our economy is estimated to be a total of $104 billion. With the support of our dear friends we will overcome this heavy burden together."
Erdoğan stressed that they would never forget the assistance provided by countries who rushed to the earthquake zone from all over the world and expressed gratitude to everyone who stood by Türkiye. He also praised the Berlin gathering, saying: "I thank my esteemed friend Chancellor Olaf Scholz for supporting the conference."
"In addition to Türkiye and Germany, the presence of companies participating in and contributing to the conference from many European countries also pleased us," he added.
