Turkish ministers visit construction site of "Azerbaijan Quarter" in earthquake-struck Kahramanmaraş

Several Turkish government officials have visited the construction site of the "Azerbaijan Quarter" in Kahramanmaraş to commemorate the second anniversary of the devastating 2023 earthquake.

A governmental delegation has inspected the progress of the large-scale housing project in the Southern city of Kahramanmaraş that was heavily affected by the earthquakes, Caliber.Az reports citing AZERTAG. The construction of the residential district is being implemented with the support of the Azerbaijani government. 

Türkiye's Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır were part of the visiting group.

As Caliber.Az recalls, Azerbaijan has sent a wide range of resources to the affected regions to assist fraternal Türkiye with the devastating consequences. Following news of the horrible earthquake, Azerbaijan became the first country to dispatch a search and rescue team to the region, consisting of almost 900 personnel and several rescue dogs. Multiple trucks carrying humanitarian aid and construction material, as well as aircrafts were later sent by Baku.

In a press conference following the minister's visit, Işıkhan recalled that the earthquake claimed the lives of over 53,000 people in Türkiye and injured more than 107,000. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and emphasized the unity of the Turkish people in the face of disaster, rallying behind President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call to support the 11 affected provinces. He assured that the government would not abandon its citizens and that reconstruction efforts would continue until full recovery is achieved.

Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated that government support for the region’s industrial infrastructure would continue throughout the year. He highlighted incentives in 65 districts of the disaster zone, including favorable credit terms and tax benefits, which have already enabled the implementation of 1,116 projects and created over 50,000 jobs.

Speaking on the logistical reconstruction efforts, Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that 46 billion lira (approx. $1.28 billion) would be invested in the region’s water supply and irrigation systems over the next two years—double the amount spent in the last two years. He stressed the strategic importance of the affected provinces, which account for 15% of Türkiye's agricultural output and 20% of its agricultural exports.

By Nazrin Sadigova