The Century of Türkiye will be the milestone of a new era of rise in the country while the wounds of February’s deadly earthquake will be healed, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in his message for Eid al-Adha.
“We will turn our Century of Türkiye, which we embarked upon as of the morning of May 29, from being a dream into a reality with Allah’s will. Our aim is to turn the new century of our Republic into a milestone for a new era, a brand new growth and a new social reconciliation in every aspect of our nation’s struggle for independence and future,” the president said in a video message.
“I wish Eid al-Adha brings blessings to our families, nation, the Islamic world and humanity.
“Holidays are blessed days when we, as a nation, remember our unity and our eternal brotherhood,” Erdoğan said.
Eid al-Adha is the time when the spirit of solidarity and sharing reaches its peak, he added.
Most Muslim countries worldwide, including Türkiye, will observe the four-day holiday starting on Wednesday.
The holiday commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son at the command of God before the last-minute divine substitute of a ram.
Muslims sacrifice animals to commemorate this intervention and share the meat with the poor and their relatives and friends.
“I believe that Eid al-Adha will further strengthen the atmosphere of brotherhood among our citizens in these months when we are still grieving losses from the Feb. 6 earthquakes,” he added.
“We continue our efforts without interruption to heal wounds from those earthquakes and to get survivors back to their new homes as soon as possible. We have maintained this policy even during the election period, which we have left behind,” he added.
Over 50,000 people were killed in two powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.
The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes that were centered in Kahramanmaraş province affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, were also shaken by the strong tremors that struck in less than 10 hours.
“Hopefully, we will start delivering the first batch of the earthquake relocation houses gradually as of October-November. We are determined to complete the construction of a total of 650,000 earthquake houses, 319,000 of which will be within the first year, as we promised our nation,” Erdoğan said.
Most provinces hit by the deadly disaster voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the elections.
Speaking on the vote, Erdoğan reiterated that the winners of the May election were the whole 85 million citizens of Türkiye.
“Thankfully, Türkiye successfully carried out one of its most critical elections in an atmosphere watched with envy all over the world, with a record turnout rate of up to 90% in a feast of democracy,” he said.
Türkiye’s transformative leader won the May 28 runoff against a big opposition coalition, despite an economic crisis and the ongoing effects of the earthquake.
Erdoğan won 52.18% of the vote while his secularist rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu scored 47.82%, suggested official results.
