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

Some 650,000 new homes will be built in regions of Turkiye which were hit earlier this year by devastating earthquakes, the Turkish President said Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

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

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

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

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

READ: Turkiye: Erdogan reveals number of residential units built in earthquake zones

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 Turkiye 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 which rushed to the earthquake zone from all over the world, and expressed gratitude to everyone who stood by Turkiye.

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

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

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