26.12.2025 21:00
The Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, spoke about the ongoing efforts in the earthquake-affected region during the "Media Meeting" program held at a hotel in the Antakya district. While the changes in the region before and after the earthquake were showcased through shared photographs, Minister Kurum emphasized that everyone has contributed to the efforts, stating, "We have fulfilled a historic duty."
The Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, explained the work in the earthquake zone at the "Media Meeting" program held at a hotel in the Antakya district.
Kurum expressed that they have gone through many trials during the earthquakes and thanked all media workers who always wrote the truth during this process.
"EVERY LIFE WE LOST BROKE OUR HEARTS" Minister Kurum stated that the great disaster on February 6 tested the resilience of the nation and the institutional capacity of the state, saying, "We are talking about an area of 108 thousand square kilometers. It is truly a vast area, and the lives of our 14 million brothers living here unfortunately changed that night. This area is larger than the land area of more than 100 countries. In this earthquake of such magnitude, we unfortunately lost 53,537 of our lives. Millions of our people, our brothers lost their homes, workplaces, and memories. Every life we lost in this great disaster broke all of our hearts," he said.
TOTAL DAMAGE REACHED 150 BILLION DOLLARS Kurum drew attention to the deep wounds the destruction caused by the disaster inflicted on the economy, stating that an indirect damage of 150 billion dollars has emerged.
Explaining that many facilities, from energy lines to airports, from roads to bridges, and from water and sewage infrastructure, suffered heavy damage during the earthquakes, Minister Kurum noted that 2.5 million citizens whose homes were damaged in 11 provinces had to migrate to different cities.
Minister Kurum stated that they view the recovery of the earthquake zone as the future of Turkey and that they carry out their activities in the construction of the century with this understanding.
"MORE THAN 75 BILLION DOLLARS HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN THE EARTHQUAKE ZONE SO FAR" Kurum emphasized that they started working with a sense of mobilization after the earthquake, stating: "Not only after the disaster but actually during the disaster, we tried to provide the best example of proper management here. We started this work with very important planning. We laid the first foundations of our houses on the 15th day with an unprecedented speed in history. We delivered the first village houses on the 45th day. To date, our state has made an investment of over 75 billion dollars in the earthquake zone. This investment is still ongoing in infrastructure and social facilities in our 11 provinces."
Highlighting that a large team has worked behind the scenes in the construction of the century, Kurum stated that personnel working in 3,481 construction sites in 174 different areas are working day and night to make the region a center of attraction in Anatolia again.
"WE HAVE COME TO THE DAY WE KEPT OUR PROMISE TO COMPLETE ALL HOUSES BY THE END OF THE YEAR" Kurum explained that they have been fighting to provide earthquake victims with their homes, workplaces, schools, and parks as soon as possible, continuing: "We have reached a speed of producing 550 houses a day, 23 an hour. Do not look at these houses just as individual structures. We designed these houses with their social facilities, parks, and cultural areas. We built squares in each of our cities. Ultimately, we have come to the day we kept our promise of 'We will complete all houses by the end of the year,' which we have insisted on every time, given in Hatay. We are now counting the hours to embrace our earthquake-affected brothers tomorrow. God willing, tomorrow, with the presence of our President, we will hand over the keys of our 455,000th house to the rightful citizens. Mr. Doctor Devlet Bahçeli will also attend. Our Speaker of the Parliament and the leaders of our People's Alliance will be here."
"TOGETHER WE WILL SAY 'THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CENTURY, TURKEY'S SUCCESS' TOMORROW" Minister Kurum stated that everyone who put their hand under the stone for Hatay on the morning of February 6 will be here.
He announced with great enthusiasm, peace, and happiness that they will deliver the keys of the promised 455,000 houses to the earthquake victims, saying, "Thus, we will have completed the construction of an area equivalent to the population of Lithuania and the land area of Bulgaria and Iceland. Of course, we have always said that we will hand over the keys to the last rightful citizen, and together, with the joy of our mothers, the happiness of our children, and the prayers of our elders, we will say tomorrow 'the construction of the century, Turkey's success.'
HE PRESENTED VISION PROJECTS Kurum shared the vision projects in the provinces affected by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes during the program.
Sharing the current states of the neighborhoods and streets destroyed in the disaster in Hatay, Kurum stated, "Today, this place has become the capital of hope, resistance, and revival. We have nothing to hide or keep here. A work has emerged that we will proudly show to all of Hatay and Turkey. With 155,000 new homes, our Hatay has risen again with its parks and gardens."
Kurum mentioned that the historical and cultural areas and buildings of Hatay have been restored to their original state, and that the completed İskenderun Coastal Road is now serving the city.
Sharing the works carried out in the Azerbaijan Neighborhood in Kahramanmaraş, Kurum said, "In the Azerbaijan Neighborhood, not only houses but everything was destroyed. The infrastructure was demolished, memories, lives. We completed and delivered our Anka Houses, where hope has been reborn, in place of the Ebrar Site, where more than a thousand of our citizens lost their lives."
Kurum stated that the Demirciler Bazaar and the Historical Covered Bazaar have been restored in accordance with their original state, saying: "We are revitalizing the squares and historical areas there in a way that befits our Kahramanmaraş. God willing, with 74,000 new homes, bazaars, inns, baths, and trade centers, our Maraş will continue its civilization journey from where it left off."
MALATYA Kurum emphasized that the "heart" of Malatya, the Bakırcılar Bazaar, is now safer and more peaceful with the Söğütlü Mosque, the Governor's Office, and the new square, stating: "We will continue both production and employment and the development in the region here, God willing."28 thousand housing units we built in the Ikizce region is a larger area than many provinces and districts in Turkey. With its social facilities, it is the largest construction site in Turkey. Hopefully, with these efforts, the children of Battal Gazi have risen again with hope, excitement, and love with 79 thousand housing units. "
ADIYAMAN The institution also shared the following about the works in Adıyaman: "In the city of the companions, Adıyaman, the clock in the square had stopped at 04:17. We did not only change the clock in that square; we rebuilt all of Adıyaman, starting from Atatürk Avenue to our houses in İndere, and the restoration of the Ulu Mosque there. This place was completely empty; we made our assessments here on the 7th and 8th days of the earthquake. We said, 'Let's establish a new satellite city that dominates the entire city here,' and in our Adıyaman İndere project, where we worked for days and months with breakers, we completed and delivered 16 thousand housing units, a school, a mosque, and a park in this area to our citizens. Our Adıyaman has also been reborn from its ashes with 44 thousand new homes and is now ready for the Turkey Century."
WORKS IN GAZIANTEP AND OTHER PROVINCES Recalling that he was in Gaziantep in the first hours of the earthquake, the institution stated, "Thank God, the place of those pains has now been taken by hope and happiness, and our nation is now sitting here in peace and security. I say with great excitement that our Gaziantep has become a symbol of happiness, not sadness, with 30 thousand new homes and prosperous workplaces."
Minister Kurum listed the housing works in other provinces affected by the disaster on February 6 as follows: "In Osmaniye, we completed our housing both in the center and in the designated reserve areas. With 12 thousand new homes in Adana, 17 thousand new homes in Diyarbakır, the 'seal of brotherhood', 14 thousand housing units in our Şanlıurfa, the trust of Hazreti İbrahim, and again 13 thousand housing units in our 'Gakkoşlar city' Elazığ, and with 3 thousand homes in our border city Kilis, we also quickly completed the affected housing in Kayseri and Bingöl, and now these provinces are completely ready for the Turkey Century. History has been rewritten in all 11 cities, and everything has actually started anew. I thank the Almighty Allah for the tears of joy shed together with our nation in those streets where we shed tears of sorrow on the day of the disaster."
43 THOUSAND NEW SHOPS FOR TRADESMEN, 63 THOUSAND VILLAGE HOUSES FOR RURAL AREAS Emphasizing that important works are also being carried out for tradesmen and rural development alongside housing projects, Kurum stated, "Alongside the housing we built in 11 provinces, we built 43 thousand new shops, saying 'Our tradesmen are everything to us.' We have implemented infrastructure projects equivalent to 11 thousand kilometers, which corresponds to the length of Turkey's coastline."
Kurum continued: "We went to our villages, and we worked in 4 thousand 333 villages. We wanted rural development to be achieved, and we have thankfully completed and delivered 63 thousand village houses here. Along with all this, we have also taken on the challenge of protecting the rural population, but on the other hand, we have carried out the construction of these areas in accordance with their original state."
"UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF DISINFORMATION WAS SPREAD" Emphasizing that they responded to the disinformation after the disaster with projects, Minister Kurum made the following assessment:
"Unfortunately, a lot of disinformation was spread during this process. What was said, lies, slanders. Our response to all the slanders was to revive our 11 provinces, to rejuvenate production, employment, and trade. With God's permission, starting tomorrow, Turkey will have completed the disaster of the century with the solidarity of the century and will have entered a period of revival. This success is the achievement of Turkey, led by our President, and of the Turkish nation, which has never given up trusting its state. We thank God for this success, we are proud of our leader and our state. We are also honored to be a child of this nation. On this occasion, I once again thank my disaster-affected brothers who never lost hope in us. I believe that the construction of the century will be proof of the great determination shown by our state and that this tough test we have passed with our heads held high will now be recorded in history with the testimony of journalists. This epic of resurrection will hopefully serve as a guide for our children, our offspring, and our grandchildren."
"WE NEVER STOP, WE DO NOT LEAN BACK" Kurum pointed out that there is no stopping, resting, or waiting in their beliefs, and concluded his words as follows:
"This is exactly what we are doing today. On one hand, we completed the construction of the century after the disaster of the century, we finished the earthquake housing. In the meantime, new disasters occurred, we went there, laid our foundations, delivered our keys, and healed the wounds. Now we never stop, we do not lean back, we do not say 'it's over.' We will accelerate this knowledge, accumulation, and experience in the earthquake region with 500 thousand social housing in 81 provinces, with new urban transformation projects in our cities, with the revival of the environment, the city, the square, and the cultural structure. We will reach out to oppressed geographies, stand by our brothers in Syria and Gaza, and continue this struggle together for our country, the future of our country, and for the 86 million citizens."