Bahçeli: Hatay Has Risen From Its Ashes
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), speaking at the ceremony for the 455,000th disaster housing project lottery, key handover, and collective inauguration of completed investments — attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — stated:
“With admiration and gratitude, I witness that Hatay has risen from its ashes and, through a comprehensive campaign of reconstruction and revival, has once again stood tall. Today, Hatay is a symbol of national unity and brotherhood.”
Referring to the devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş, measuring 7.6 and 7.7 in magnitude, Bahçeli said:
“Immediately after this catastrophe, with the unparalleled solidarity of the state and the nation, a great struggle began to heal the wounds. The earthquake affected an area of 110,000 square kilometers, 11 provinces, 113 districts, 6,514 villages, and more than 14 million of our citizens. In truth, the entire Turkish nation trembled with grief and sorrow; our country, from east to west and north to south, both spiritually and materially, was shaken by the disaster of the century.”
Bahçeli, offering condolences to the families of the victims, added:
“The legacy of tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters who were buried under the rubble is the shared legacy of the Turkish nation. Their memories are our memories, and their goals are our goals. The Turkish nation has never bowed to calamities at any point in its history and has always overcome difficulties with patience, faith, and determination.”
The MHP leader, pointing to reconstruction progress in the affected provinces including Hatay, Malatya, Adıyaman, Adana, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, and Şanlıurfa, emphasized:
“These achievements are a magnificent testament to the constructive and revival efforts of the century.”
Expressing gratitude to President Erdoğan, ministers, engineers, workers, and civil society organizations, Bahçeli said:
“Trying to cover the sun with mud is merely a sign of the incapacity of those trapped in vain dreams.”
Highlighting the rapid construction of housing after the earthquake, Bahçeli noted:
“Only 45 days after the disaster, the first houses were built. So far, nearly 98,000 units have been delivered in Hatay, and this figure is expected to exceed 150,000. In total, 455,357 housing units and workplaces are under construction.”
Bahçeli also stressed the goal of a “terror-free Turkey,” adding:
“If regional initiatives succeed, our country and region will forever be illuminated with peace and tranquility.”
In conclusion, Bahçeli said:
“The new houses have brought hope and joy to the earthquake survivors. Justice has been served, and rights have been restored to their rightful owners. We are one, we are all Turkey. The future belongs to the Turkish nation, and no one can stop this caravan.”
