President Erdogan marks quake anniversary, says Türkiye 'kept its word' to rebuild

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday commemorated the victims of the February 6 2023 twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye, marking the third anniversary of one of the deadliest disasters in the country’s history and pledging that the state has fulfilled its promise to rebuild the devastated cities.

In a message shared on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Erdogan said Türkiye would never forget those who lost their lives when twin earthquakes struck 11 provinces three years ago.

“We will not forget our brothers and sisters who met the mercy of the Most Merciful due to the two major earthquakes we experienced three years ago today,” he said.

Protecting the legacy of the victims

Erdogan stressed that the government had vowed to protect the legacy of the victims and restore the regions left in ruins.

“We promised our nation that we would always keep their memories alive in our hearts and minds, protect what they entrusted to us, and raise our cities that were destroyed by the earthquake back to their feet,” Erdogan said. 

“Today, with Allah’s permission, we have overcome this challenge and rebuilt and revived our cities in as short a time as three years. We kept our word,” he added.

His post was accompanied by a video showing scenes of the destruction from 2023 alongside images of newly built housing, infrastructure and public facilities.

The twin earthquakes, centred in Kahramanmaras province, killed tens of thousands of people and caused massive damage across southern Türkiye.

Erdogan is also expected to attend memorial ceremonies for the victims later on Friday.