The president first visited the province of Gaziantep (Dilok in Kurdish), one of Turkey’s hardest-hit areas as a result of the tremor, conducting a press conference in the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) office in the city.
Barzani said the purpose of his visit was to express the Kurdistan Region’s sympathies and condolences to the disaster-stricken people of Turkey.
“The people of the Kurdistan Region mourn the loss and stand in solidarity with the victims of the devastating earthquake,” said President Barzani during the presser.
The president said that Turkey has always supported the Kurdistan Region during difficult times, stressing that it was time for the Region to do the same.
“God willing this unfortunate situation will soon pass, I am certain of that. I am also certain that the government and president of Turkey will be keen on renovating [the affected areas.] Turkey is a great state and will definitely overcome this disaster with its head held high,” he added.#Kurdistan @IKRPresident Nechirvan Barzani arrives in #Gaziantep to visit areas devastated by February 6th earthquake. pic.twitter.com/LEYFNn95gR
— Kurdistan Region Presidency (@KurdistanRegion) February 14, 2023
Barzani then visited the towns of Nurdagi and Islahiye in the same province, meeting with a number of the towns’ top officials, as well as members of the Kurdistan Region’s rapid response units that are working on providing humanitarian aid to the quake-hit population of the areas.
Following his visit to the disaster-hit areas, President Barzani is set to travel to Ankara to meet with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey last week, with its impact also ripping through neighbouring Syria. The confirmed death toll from both countries stands at over 35,000 as of Tuesday.
