ISTANBUL
Turkic states expressed the need to develop a response mechanism against natural disasters during an extraordinary summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Thursday.
The OTC heads of state summit, which is taking place in the Turkish capital Ankara, is being attended by the presidents of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as well as the prime minister of Hungary and the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is also the current chairman of the OTS, said during his opening remarks that many people were affected and killed by the earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye last month.
“Our fraternal peoples have come together through various calamities over the millennia,” Mirziyoyev said, noting that Uzbekistan is ready to help Türkiye in rebuilding the quake-hit southern regions.
He also proposed at the initiative of the OTS to mark Feb. 6 as a day of “remembrance and unity” for those who died due to the quakes centered in Kahramanmaras province, further saying that the organization must develop a mechanism to better respond to natural disasters.
Mirziyoyev also expressed his support for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's candidacy in Türkiye’s upcoming presidential elections "on behalf of all our brotherly nations."
The chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, meanwhile noted that he hopes the OTS will accept Turkmenistan as a member state.
“We need to give each other support as friends and brothers…We all need to be one,” Berdimuhamedov said.
He noted that Turkmenistan can bring Turkmen energy, specifically natural gas, to other Turkic states if they strengthen domestic laws and laws between Turkic speaking countries.
He also said that OTS member states are located in seismically active regions, adding it is important to carry out studies on the safety of seismic zones.
Türkiye has become ‘a center of power'
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said a total of 940 search, rescue and medical personnel went to Türkiye to assist in operations in the quake-hit regions of the country, resulting in the rescue of 53 people.
Aliyev further said that medical support was provided to 3,000 people and 5,300 tons of humanitarian aid was delivered.
"The Azerbaijan government and people mobilized to deliver humanitarian aid to Türkiye after the earthquakes," he said.
He noted that Azerbaijan and Türkiye have always stood by each other in both good and bad times, emphasizing that this will continue to be the case in the future.
Adding that Türkiye has become a prominent country not only in the region but also in the world, Aliyev said the country has become a "center of power."
During his remarks, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that “thousands of our brothers” lost their lives during the earthquakes in Türkiye and that the Kazakh people did not remain indifferent to these sufferings through the aid they provided.
“Our people say: 'The weight of a load lifted together becomes lighter.’ In this context, I would like to state that we are ready to build social facilities in the earthquake zone," Tokayev said.
He also underlined the need to mobilize the OTS’ efforts against natural disasters, proposing to create an emergency management group under the organization.
Tokayev further suggested creating a list of search and rescue equipment for rapid coordination in disaster relief, adding that it is important for the OTS to "take the place it deserves at the international level” by strengthening cooperation in "the current global geopolitical and economic situation."
Türkiye to overcome difficulties after quakes
Later, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov also declared the need to develop an emergency response mechanism to natural disasters within the OTS.
Japarov said he is confident that Türkiye will overcome the difficulties created by the earthquakes, further noting the ties between the Turkish and Kyrgyz people.
"The Kyrgyz people have always had historical ties with the Turkish people. The closeness and ties of our peoples have continued for centuries and will continue to do so. We are always with you," he noted.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary helped Türkiye right after the earthquakes, stressing that the two countries have historic ties.
“We are proud to support you (Türkiye) in the rebuilding process in the upcoming period,” he said.
Turning to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Orban said the effect of the war is “very serious.”
“We wish a cease-fire to be declared as soon as possible and the war to be ended,” he added.
Orban also thanked Erdogan for his efforts towards peace.
Ersin Tatar, the president of the TRNC, said Turkish Cypriots are an integral part of the Turkic world and are ready to establish and develop relations with the Turkic states in every field.
“My request from you is to support us in our just cause, to show your solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people on every platform, and to contribute to the struggle of our state, which is the representative of the rights and interests of the Turkic world in the region, to obtain the status it deserves in the international arena,” Tatar said.
The TRNC, which obtained observer status during last year’s summit in Uzbekistan, is participating in an OTS summit for the first time.
Also speaking at the summit, Binali Yildirim, the head the Council of Elders of the OTS, said the non-governmental organizations and citizens of the Turkic world supported the earthquake victims.
“I hope that the idea of establishing a civil protection mechanism, which is the subject of our extraordinary summit and which will form the basis of qualified and sustainable cooperation between member states in the field of emergency and disaster relief, will be implemented in the coming period,” Yildirim said.
The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and union among themselves.
Its members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, while European Union state Hungary as well as Turkmenistan and the TRNC have observer status.
