Türkiye will never forget the solidarity of the Azerbaijani people after the earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye in February 2023, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
Speaking at the key delivery ceremony of post-quake houses in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province alongside his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan said that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries that came to his country's aid after the quakes.
Stressing that Baku has come with everything it had to heal wounds after the quakes, he also expressed appreciation for Azerbaijan's role in helping build the post-quake houses.
"Regardless of the conditions in the world and in our region, our priority is clear,” the Turkish president said, adding that they are concerned with healing “as soon as possible" the wounds inflicted by the disaster of the century.
Aliyev praises unity, brotherhood
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also expressed that the Azerbaijani people treated the earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye in February 2023 as their own, Aliyev said “tens of thousands” of Azerbaijanis began to fulfil their “fraternal duty” by providing humanitarian aid.
Aliyev highlighted that the same number of people were provided with new apartments in a short period of time following the quakes, a testament to Erdogan’s “commitment, love and strong determination toward his people.”
“At the same time, this is also evidence of a strong Türkiye, because only a strong state can carry out such a large-scale reconstruction and construction work in a short time,” Aliyev said, adding that more than 1,000 Azerbaijani personnel were immediately sent to the region at the time.
He said as many as 53 people were rescued from the rubble by Azerbaijani personnel, while another 3,200 people were provided with medical assistance by Azerbaijani doctors in two field hospitals established.
“Azerbaijan has always been by Türkiye’s side and Türkiye has always been by Azerbaijan's side. Today, my participation along with my dear brother in the opening of the ‘Azerbaijan’ quarter is further evidence of our unity and friendship,” he said, describing the establishment of the neighbourhood as a “remarkable event.”
He said the brotherhood and unity between the two countries is an important factor not only for the region, but also on a global scale, reminding that the Shusha Declaration officially elevated Turkish-Azerbaijani relations to the level of an alliance.
He recalled Türkiye’s support for Azerbaijan on the issue of Karabakh from the first days of the 44-day conflict with Armenia in fall 2020, expressing Turkish solidarity “gave us additional strength.”
“The people of Kahramanmaras showed great resolve in the face of a terrible earthquake. They did not break or bend. They knew and believed that behind them stood a strong leader – Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Behind them stands a strong Türkiye,” he added.
On Feb. 6, 2023, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.
The post-quake houses for which the delivery ceremony was held, were built by the Azerbaijani government and the Housing Development Administration of the Republic of Türkiye (TOKI), in the Azerbaijan Neighbourhood of Kahramanmaras.
