Türkiye met 'immense solidarity, generosity' in post-quake period, says foreign minister

Türkiye met "immense solidarity and generosity" of the international community in the aftermath of the massive quakes last month, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Monday.

"We saw the immense solidarity and generosity of the international community. Rescue teams from all over the world put themselves at risk to rescue victims.

"We are grateful. We will never forget the helping hands of our friends," Çavuşoğlu said at the International Donors' Conference in Brussels.

The conference was organized by European Commission and the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union to support victims affected by devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces-Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig-in southern and southeastern Türkiye, and claimed the lives of over 50,000 people.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

Türkiye now moves to the recovery and reconstruction phase, Çavuşoğlu said, adding: "Increasing the resilience to disasters is just one goal."

Meeting the needs of those in vulnerable situations will be a priority, he pledged.

"The earthquakes hit 1.7 million Syrian refugees and migrants living in our 11 provinces. They will also benefit from these efforts in an inclusive manner," he stressed.