The German economy wants to support Turkey permanently in the reconstruction of the regions affected by the devastating earthquake.
The aid should be as broad as possible, said Peter Adrian, President of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, at a German-Turkish reconstruction conference in Berlin. A conference on this is planned in Turkey next year, and in Brussels in 2025. “There’s still a long way to go.”
At the beginning of February, southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria were hit by several devastating earthquakes. There were tens of thousands of casualties and millions of people were left homeless. Thousands of houses, schools and hospitals now have to be rebuilt.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in a video message that the damage was estimated at over 100 billion US dollars. This “Herculean task” cannot be accomplished with public funds alone. This requires companies that invest in the future. That is why the reconstruction conference is so important. More than 7,000 German companies are already active in Turkey, and thousands of companies from all over Europe are joining them. “Together with the local economy, this is a strong foundation for the reconstruction of the affected regions.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a video message that Turkey was struggling to bring life in the region back to normal. The cities in the earthquake regions should be made safer.
