Director of Communications Altun: "We see your efforts as futile. We will keep up our fight against you with the same determination. We will derail your evil schemes one by one with Allah's permission."
During his address to the "Panel on International Cooperation and Solidarity in Natural Disasters" held at the Directorate of Communications Conference Hall, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun emphasised that on February 6, Türkiye experienced one of the greatest earthquakes in world history, named the "disaster of the century," and said that more than 50 thousand people lost their lives, and more than 313 thousand buildings and 893 thousand independent units were destroyed, as a result of this disaster which affected 11 provinces.
Director of Communications Altun wished Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives and expressed his condolences to their families and the Turkish nation, adding that the state has been with its citizens in the disaster zone through rapid and effective coordination since the earliest moments of the earthquake.
Director of Communications Altun stressed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has personally coordinated the post-disaster response and relief efforts from the very beginning and stated that public institutions, non-governmental organisations, the nation, especially the AFAD, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish Red Crescent, and healthcare personnel have been fully mobilised.
Director of Communications Altun said that Türkiye’s Disaster Response Plan was activated as soon as the disaster struck, that 35,250 search and rescue professionals were on the ground, and that more than 100,000 people were rescued from the rubble.
Director of Communications Altun highlighted that President Erdoğan had assigned all ministers to the earthquake zone, along with 40 governors and 160 local authorities.
Director of Communications Altun explained that approximately 275,000 personnel were quickly deployed to the region to provide numerous essential services, such as food, shelter, health, security, psychosocial support, damage assessment, and infrastructure.
Stating that Turkish Airlines and the Turkish Armed Forces played a crucial role in transferring personnel and materials domestically and internationally and evacuating disaster victims from the region via the air corridor, Director of Communications Altun added that presidential aircraft transported injured individuals out of the earthquake zone, as well as search and rescue and medical teams into there.
Director of Communications Altun indicated that they coordinated the evacuation of more than 1.5 million citizens from the earthquake zone by air, sea, rail, and road and that the tent and container cities constructed in earthquake-affected provinces and the facilities assigned met the shelter needs of almost three million citizens.
Director of Communications Altun remarked that the government, on the one hand, offers temporary housing and, on the other hand, is engaged in the construction of permanent houses and that a total of 650 thousand dwellings, of which 319 thousand will be constructed within a year, will be erected.
International support to Türkiye in the face of the “disaster of the century”
Noting that risks such as economic crises, wars, pandemics, famine, the climate crisis, and natural disasters extend beyond the borders of a single country, Director of Communications Altun emphasised that these issues had the potential to become a global issue by expanding their sphere of influence over time, despite appearing to be limited to a single nation or region.
Pointing out the importance of international solidarity and cooperation in resolving these issues, Altun stated that Türkiye did not abstain from international solidarity and cooperation with other countries during the pandemic and, in return, received assistance from many countries and people in the face of the "disaster of the century."
Director of Communications Altun stated that approximately 11,500 search and rescue personnel from 90 countries had contributed to the effort and that friendly countries assisted Türkiye by land, air, and sea with field hospitals and medical personnel.
Recalling that the Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, which was held in Ankara on March 16 to show solidarity with Türkiye, was held under the theme, "Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance," Director of Communications Altun stated that important steps were taken regarding bilateral and multilateral cooperation and coordination mechanism in terms of preparing for and responding to natural disasters under the umbrella of the Organization of Turkic States.
Stating that he believed that the implementation of this mechanism in a much wider scope would offer significant opportunities in disaster management, Director of Communications Altun emphasised that Türkiye would never forget the hand extended to it in times of hardship, from search and rescue teams to in-kind support, from field hospitals to messages of condolence and support of other countries.
"Our nation's helping hand extended all over the world is met with great loyalty"
Director of Communications Altun went on to say:
"This period, in which the importance of solidarity in times of disaster has become clearer, should also be seized as an opportunity to improve these mechanisms and eliminate their deficiencies. Because in a period of increasing uncertainty in the global arena, it is essential that these mechanisms be kept operational more than ever due to pandemics, disasters and wars. Everyone would honestly and clearly state the following truth; Türkiye has always been the first country to respond to a disaster anywhere in the world. We see that our nation's helping hand extended all over the world in the face of global crises and disasters, and the solidarity and generosity it demonstrated are met with great loyalty today. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has been working officially or on a voluntary basis, particularly the search and rescue personnel, who have struggled with their lives since the first moments of the disaster. Likewise, we would like to thank all the friendly countries that showed solidarity and support to our country in the face of this disaster."
Director of Communications Altun noted that the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, together with all other institutions, have worked hard and continue to do their part in this process, emphasising that they ensure that the public is informed accurately on the one hand while combatting systematic disinformation attacks on the other hand.
Director of Communications Altun stated that during this process, they realised that disinformation could even directly harm the safety of life and property and that domestic and foreign voices, which are disturbed by their accurate, transparent, reliable, and timely information to national and international audiences, began to rise immediately.
"We will derail your evil schemes one by one"
Director of Communications Altun stated the fact that they are combatting lies prevented the said groups from plotting and manipulating the masses as they wished, and when they failed to do so, they attempted to defame and discredit institutions. Altun continued as follows:
"Unfortunately, they demonstrated this vicious attitude again yesterday, even going so far as to target and threaten me. The supporter of the bloodthirsty PKK, which killed innocent people in the events of October 6-8, threatened us without hesitation and exposed us as a target for the terrorist organisation on which he relied. They may be arrogantly attacking with the strength derived from the promises made to them at the round tables where they sat with blackmail. However, I would like to reiterate my call to all terrorist organisations, from the PKK to FETO, and their representatives. Your efforts will not succeed. We will continue to fight against you with the same determination. We will derail your evil schemes one by one, with the permission of Allah. None of us fears you. You cannot intimidate us with your low threats."
Recalling President Erdoğan's words, "You will not succeed" against terrorist organisations, Director of Communications Altun said:
"Your ambitions of liberating the terrorist ringleader, erecting a statue of him, and promoting separatism will backfire. Those round tables in which you place your trust, as well as your plans, will be destroyed by the will of the people. Your massive lies, systematic disinformation, and black propaganda will come crashing down on you. You do not possess the power to intimidate our President, his allies, or this great nation. We will never allow your lies, manipulations and black propaganda, just as we bury in their lairs the terrorists upon whom you rely. As long as you do not stop resorting to lies, we will continue to confront you with the truth."
Director of Communications Altun stated that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications hopes to increase national and international solidarity and sensitivity through communication campaigns like "Türkiye United as One Heart," "Solidarity of the Century," and "We stand with Türkiye while combating disinformation and informing the public.
Director of Communications Altun recalled that they introduced an "Earthquake Emergency" button to CIMER, which provides services under the Presidency, and launched a new channel to ensure that citizens affected by this disaster can communicate their needs to the state much more rapidly and went on to say,
"Since the earthquake, we have received approximately 1,700,000 applications from our citizens through the Earthquake Emergency button and our call centre. Since the earliest stages of the earthquake, all applications have been scrutinised around the clock, seven days a week, and resolved quickly and effectively in collaboration with all governmental institutions. Among these applications were numerous messages demonstrating the sacrifice, unity, and solidarity that characterise our nation. We see these efforts as part of the landscape of solidarity. In the process of getting our country prepared and robust against disasters, we will exhibit, as our President put it, the "solidarity of the century" in the aftermath of the earthquake. Today, Türkiye serves as a model for disaster management and solidarity to the rest of the world.”
"International cooperation has proven quite valuable during natural disasters"
President of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Serkan Kayalar wished Allah’s mercy on those who lost their lives in the quakes that hit Kahramanmaraş and Hatay on February 6, and a swift recovery for the injured.
Kayalar noted that international cooperation has proven quite valuable during natural disasters, saying, "Our nation continues to build capacity across all of its institutions, particularly since the early 2000s, while sharing its experiences with TİKA and comparable organisations with friendly and neighbouring countries. TİKA, which holds 62 offices in 60 countries, contributes to our nation's international humanitarian diplomacy through its projects and efforts in development cooperation."
In reference to TİKA's international humanitarian assistance efforts in the event of natural disasters, Kayalar said, "In recent years, Türkiye has responded to natural disasters with a sense of humanitarian responsibility in a number of countries, including Mexico, Albania, Serbia, South Sudan, Mongolia, Tanzania, Cambodia, Colombia, and Pakistan. It was the first country to respond even in a remote area such as Haiti."
Kayalar stated that the aid efforts in various geographies have made Türkiye the conscience of the world, adding, "So much so that these worthwhile efforts have not gone unnoticed in one dimension. It has resulted in unprecedented international solidarity in healing our country's earthquake wounds. More than 100 countries responded to our country's international call for assistance. There has been tremendous cooperation and solidarity with rescue and humanitarian aid activities from the beginning."
Kayalar stated that the aid delivered to Türkiye has valuable stories behind it and that these aids are very meaningful as a sign of friendship in difficult times.
Kayalar remarked that the historical context of these aids could be attributed to Türkiye's effectiveness in assisting regions in need to the best of its ability over the years.