ISTANBUL
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday expressed his country’s “pride” to be alongside Ankara in reconstruction and restoration efforts ahead of the first anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye, his office said.
“Azerbaijan continues its humanitarian activities in Kahramanmaras province and closely participates in the reconstruction and restoration works and the construction of social facilities. We are very proud to be with Türkiye in this noble and honorable mission,” Aliyev said in a letter addressed to his Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023, claiming the lives of over 50,000 people. Some 13.5 million people were affected across 11 provinces – Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.
“Just as Türkiye stands by Azerbaijan in good times and in sad times, we always stand by Türkiye and will continue to do so. Because we are one nation, two states,” Aliyev said.
He said he is certain that the Turkish state, thanks to Erdogan’s leadership and the Turkish people’s “determination to fight, its spirit of solidarity and its strong will,” will overcome the difficulties brought by the quakes, and come out “even stronger and with honor.”
“On this sad day, I express my condolences to you, to the families and relatives of the victims, to the fraternal people of Türkiye on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan,” he said.
To mark the first approaching anniversary, Erdogan continues to attend handover ceremonies of new homes built for those left homeless in the affected regions.
