Islamic bloc calls for support for Türkiye after earthquakes

By Mohamed Mesto

GAZIANTEP, Türkiye (AA) - Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hussein Ibrahim Taha, described the deadly earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6 as the worst, calling for cooperation to face its repercussions.

The OIC chief started a visit to Gaziantep province in southern Türkiye on Wednesday, during which he met with Governor Davut Gul, Mayor Fatma Sahin, and the heads of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

"The OIC immediately acted when we learned that an earthquake of this magnitude took place in Türkiye. We contacted all OIC members to inform them of the matter," Taha told Anadolu.

"We called on all member states to provide support, and countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait rushed to provide assistance," he said.

Taha added that the pan-Islamic organization posted the 57 member states on the current situation to mobilize support to quake-hit Türkiye.

The OIC “is doing everything possible to help Türkiye to overcome the impact of the ‘disaster of the century,’ and to make them feel that they are not alone,” he added.

“There are special departments and units in the organization for coordinating aid, and these units are doing their work in this regard,” Taha said.

The OIC chief stressed that the magnitude of this earthquake “requires cooperation from all OIC member states.”

- Pain

During a meeting with officials of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gaziantep, Taha called on the OIC member states to cooperate with Türkiye to overcome the earthquake disaster.

"We feel the pain caused by the earthquake in Türkiye,” Taha said. “We believe that companies in the OIC member states should work with you (Türkiye).”

“Our organization has called on all members to provide support to Türkiye," the secretary-general said.

More than 43,000 people have been killed in the deadly earthquakes Türkiye, according to the country’s disaster management agency AFAD.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye will begin constructing more than 200,000 homes as early as March in areas devastated by the earthquakes and complete the process within one year.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara