On the morning of February 6, we woke up to a major disaster that profoundly affected 10 cities of our country and which we call the disaster of the century. Such a powerful earthquake, spreading over such a wide geography and leaving countless pain behind, broke the hearts of all of us as a country. In this disaster in which we lost nearly 50 thousand people, we united as a state and a nation, and we took action from the first moment in order to heal the wounds to some extent. While the heroes who came to our aid and participated in search and rescue activities, both from our country and from many different parts of the world, relieved the suffering we experienced with the lives they saved, we all suffered as a country. As a result, we sacrificed almost 50 thousand people to this relentless disaster. Of course, it is meaningless to offer consolation to our people who have lost their loved ones, spouses, friends and homes in the face of this suffering that is difficult to describe in words. There is no doubt that the fire burns where it falls, and only those who are hurt suffer the pain. At this point, I have to say that my words are no longer enough for me personally. However, I would like to state that, as LASİAD and Laleli, one of Turkey’s well-established NGOs, we acted urgently regarding aid activities from the first moment of the earthquake. Rather than going into the details of the support we provide, I would like to emphasize that this support will continue uninterruptedly until the cities that experienced the earthquake are fully reconstructed and revitalized. We will never leave our people alone, and we will do whatever we can as Laleli in public and NGO cooperation to the end. Of course, it is not possible to bring back the lost lives, but I would like to say that we will take responsibility from the beginning to the last moment of the process with our heart, body and whole being in order to reduce the suffering and provide some relief to our people. Challenging times require unity and solidarity more than ever. At this stage, we will act with the awareness of our duty and work with all our strength to make our cities stronger than before. As all members of Laleli, we will continue to serve our country with all our strength in order to ensure the continuation of social and economic life, the financial sustainability of our country and to prevent our employment from being interrupted. This country is ours, this country belongs to all of us. In nations with strong unity, joys increase as they are shared, while pains decrease as they are shared. We will always stand by our citizens whose wings are broken, whose hearts are broken, who are looking for the hand of a friend and the consolation of a brother, and we will never, ever stop supporting them. We will overcome these difficult days as a state and nation and continue our march to the future without hesitation.
On this occasion, I would like to share with you a paragraph from my article last month: “It can be said that our country’s ability to sustain its rise, growth and progress in many fields in a stable manner despite all these difficulties is essentially an all-out effort. Naturally, you will definitely come out of the huge fights and struggles with certain wounds and painful pains. Turkey is one of the rare countries that has always been able to overcome the severe tests it has gone through with its strength of will, unity and solid stance. If any country in Europe had experienced the difficulties we have experienced in the last 10-15 years, who knows, that country might not be on the world map right now. “Our country has been able to face all kinds of difficulties and overcome struggles successfully, thanks to its ancient past, strong civilization and the unique unity and solidarity of its nation.”
I greet you with these wishes and wishes, and I wish God’s mercy on the lives we lost in the earthquake in both Turkey and Syria, and a speedy recovery to the injured. I also pray for patience for those who lost their loved ones. I offer my respects with the hope that we, as a country, can overcome these difficult days and this difficult test as soon as possible.
Giyasettin Eyyüpkoca
