KRG helped Turkey since the beginning of the earthquake: Turkish Consul General to Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish Consul General to Erbil Memet Mevlut Yakut on Saturday gave an exclusive interview to Kurdistan 24.

During the interview, the Turkish Consul General discussed the recent earthquakes in his country. 

Regarding the KRG’s rescue and relief assistance following the earthquakes in Turkey, Yakut acknowledged and appreciated the help from the KRG and said the “Turkish people will never forget this.”

 “In ten provinces in Turkey, where more than 13.5 million people live, more than 19,000 buildings collapsed and more than 50,000 were damaged,” the Turkish consul general explained. 

He stressed that after the quake, several people and contractors were arrested and will be prosecuted according to the law, after a full investigation has been completed regarding building code violations. 

Turkey's southern provinces and Syria were struck by earthquakes of 7.8 magnitudes on February 6, with aftershocks felt as far as Cairo, Egypt. Residents in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, too, felt the impact, particularly those living in high-rises.

After the earthquakes, PM Barzani was the first to send rescue and relief teams from the Ministry of Health and the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) to assist rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria.