UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT
By Diyar Guldogan
ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye will always remember the invaluable support extended by all Turkic nations after last month’s earthquakes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
“We will never forget the solidarity and unity displayed by the Turkic world after the disaster,” Erdogan said in his closing remarks at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in the capital Ankara.
The summit was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as well as Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan, and Kubanychbek Omuraliev, secretary general of the OTS.
“Countries of the Organization of Turkic States were among our friends who gave the quickest response to our call for help, took the swiftest action, and shared our pain,” Erdogan said.
Their solidarity and support will continue as Türkiye works to overcome the impact of the disaster and heal the wounds of our people, he added.
On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa – in southern Türkiye, claiming the lives of nearly 50,000 people.
More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.
Erdogan reiterated his pledge to rebuild the quake-hit southern region as quickly as possible.
He said the government plans to set up 100,000 containers by May, which will ensure that “half a million earthquake victims can shelter in better conditions.”
He vowed that the government “will work day and night” and promised compensation for all “damages and losses.”
- ‘Organization of Turkic States becoming a new voice’
Erdogan stressed the need to bolster the organizational strengths and capabilities of the OTS to tackle current and future challenges.
“The Organization of Turkic States is becoming a new voice, a new synergy center,” he said.
He announced that OTS leaders have decided to enhance cooperation between the relevant institutions and establish the OTS Civil Protection Mechanism by the next summit, which will be held in Kazakhstan.
He hailed the establishment of the Turkic Investment Fund, which aims to mobilize the economic potential of OTS states and strengthen trade ties, as “one of the tangible achievements” of the summit.
He said the fund will be based in Istanbul and “will contribute to the economic integration of the Turkic world.”
The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, is an international platform for independent Turkic countries to work together to strengthen relations and ties in all spheres.
Its members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, while EU state Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have observer status.