President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye asserted on Friday that his administration would make Türkiye the most disaster-ready nation in the world following the devastating effects of the February 6 earthquakes that occurred along the Türkiye-Syria border.
During his remarks at the Türkiye National Risk Shield Meeting, Erdoğan expressed gratitude to the scientists in attendance for presenting their discoveries and proposals to enhance the country's earthquake resilience.
Erdoğan said: "The February 6 earthquakes, which caused one of the greatest fatalities and property damage in our history, will mark a turning point in disaster readiness. Türkiye will be able to respond faster and more effectively to disasters, not just with a common mindset, but also with a common awareness, and a common spirit and vision." In this context, he has referred to the reconstruction of buildings that were damaged or destroyed in the earthquakes, warning that this time around, the opportunities for contractors to evade security protocols "have been destroyed."
Erdoğan added: "I believe no one has any doubt that action is needed. Türkiye has reached a point where it approaches the disaster issue as a whole rather than separately. We cannot ignore the fires, floods, landslides, terrorism, and refugee crises. It is imperative that we fight all of these issues together. We regard this as the initial step in building a new disaster management paradigm."