Türkiye aims to complete construction of 650,000 houses in quake zone: President Erdogan

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Some 650,000 new homes will be built in regions of Türkiye hit earlier this year by devastating earthquakes, the Turkish president said Thursday.

In a video message to the Berlin Earthquake Conference in the German capital, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the countries that showed solidarity with Türkiye after the earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country.

The conference was organized by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck numerous Turkish provinces, taking over 50,000 lives.

Around 14 million people in Türkiye were affected by the quakes as well as many thousands of others in northern Syria.

A total of 872,000 independent units in 311,000 buildings became unusable in 11 provinces while workplaces, agricultural areas, shops, and factories were damaged, said Erdogan.

"We are making intensive efforts for life to return to normal in the region. We have removed all the debris. We have swiftly started the construction of permanent housing in areas without earthquake risk."

-Cities 'safer and more resilient'

He added that Türkiye will gradually deliver the houses starting this fall and complete the construction of 319,000 houses within the first year after the earthquakes.

"We will deliver them to the rightful owners. Our goal is to build a total of 650,000 houses. We’re determined to make our cities safer and more resilient than before."

"The cost of the earthquake to our economy is estimated to be a total of $104 billion. With the support of our dear friends we will overcome this heavy burden together."

Erdogan stressed that they would never forget the assistance provided by countries who rushed to the earthquake zone from all over the world and expressed gratitude to everyone who stood by Türkiye.

He also praised the Berlin gathering, saying: "I thank my esteemed friend Chancellor Olaf Scholz for supporting the conference."

"In addition to Türkiye and Germany, the presence of companies participating in and contributing to the conference from many European countries also pleased us," he added.