Erdoğan, Aliyev hail quake housing as 'symbol of brotherhood'
KAHRAMANMARAŞ
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the newly built Azerbaijan-supported housing in Türkiye's earthquake-ravaged south stands as a symbol of the enduring friendship between Ankara and Baku.
"May God perpetuate the unwavering bond between us. The most concrete example of our common fate is the housing we opened," Erdoğan said on June 19 at a ceremony marking the delivery of the 250,000th new home for victims of the 2023 earthquakes.
Joined by Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev in the hard-hit city of Kahramanmaraş, Erdoğan inaugurated a residential complex named the "Azerbaijan neighborhood," built with the backing of the Baku government.
"I would like to express my gratitude to my brother İlham and his delegation," Erdoğan said.
"Azerbaijan was one of the first to come to our aid during this difficult period. We will never forget the solidarity of the Azerbaijani people who rushed to help by wrapping everything they had on the roof of their cars."
The earthquakes killed more than 53,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Erdoğan said the government’s reconstruction efforts in the devastated region would remain a top priority "regardless of the conditions in the world and our region."
"We are committed to healing the wounds caused by the disaster of the century. We have never left our citizens alone and we will keep the promises we made to our nation," he said.
"No country can recover from such a major disaster this quickly. We have turned an area the size of Europe into a construction site."
The president said his administration is working to complete and deliver 453,000 residences and workplaces by the end of the year.
"We aim to revive all our cities by the end of the year and not leave an unfinished story. The process we are going through is equivalent to a national struggle," he stated.
Erdoğan also took aim at the political opposition, accusing them of exploiting the tragedy for electoral gains.
"Those who make a big fuss in every election period but forget the way to the earthquake zone have a horizon as big as the ballot box. Our compass has never deviated. They will spread hopelessness; we will be the companions of our disaster-stricken brothers." he said.
"They will create obstacles; we will find or open a way and overcome the obstacles. While they are quarreling and fighting, we will mobilize for all of Türkiye together with Kahramanmaraş."
For his part, Aliyev said the project is "a new manifestation of Türkiye-Azerbaijan friendship."
"I convey the love, respect and greetings of our people to all citizens living in the earthquake zone," he said.
"Two brotherly countries continue to progress together ... Long live Türkiye, long live the Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood."
Ahead of the ceremony, Erdoğan and Aliyev held a closed-door meeting in Kahramanmaraş, attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
