Turkey's President says his country will never forget earthquake response

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's message of hope and gratitude to the international community relayed to delegates at the World Government Summit

A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images

A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo

A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images

Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP

Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo

Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo

A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP

A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP

A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP

A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP

Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters

A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters

A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP

Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP

Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP

A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP

Destruction in Antakya. AP

A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP

A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA

Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA

A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP

A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP

Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP

Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters

A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters

Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP

Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP

Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA

An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP

A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP

Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP

People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters

Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP

Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters

A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP

Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National

A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo

A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo

Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters

A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP

Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP

Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters

Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Eight days after an earthquake with the strength of 500 atom bombs devastated his nation, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the global response as a show of international solidarity in uncertain times.

Described as the biggest natural disaster in Turkey’s history — and one of the most catastrophic of recent times — Mr Erdogan quoted 13th century poet Meviana Rumi and said: “There is hope after despair and there will be many suns after darkness.”

As the rubble of destroyed buildings is cleared and survivors continue to be pulled from the twisted metal and concrete, Mr Erdogan — in a pre-recorded message relayed to the World Government Summit in Dubai — thanked search and rescue teams that had flown in to aid recovery work.

As the Turkish state, together with our nation, we will quickly heal the wounds caused by this disaster

Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Turkish President

“On the one hand, we are performing search and rescue, and rubble removal operations while on the other, we are accelerating the installation of tents, containers and prefabricated houses.

“Inshallah, we will soon begin reconstructing and recovering our shattered cites. As the Turkish state, together with our nation, we will quickly heal the wounds caused by this disaster.

“During the process we have received support and condolence messages from more than 100 countries, including the UAE.

“Countries have demonstrated their solidarity with [Turkey] by calling personally, dispatching rescue teams and organising aid campaigns.

“I would like to thank, once again, all the friendly and brotherly countries who have been collecting aid for our nation day and night, supporting our search and rescue efforts with their teams and keeping us in their prayers.”

The majority of the more than 81,000 injured quake survivors have been discharged from hospitals, while some continue to be treated.

Search and rescue teams in the worst hit areas have rescued more than 8,000 people from the rubble.

After the 7.8-magnitude quake struck in the early hours of Monday, February 6, Turkey mobilised all state and national resources to the disaster zone and declared a level four alarm.

In his address to the summit, Mr Erdogan said Turkey would rebuild.

“This disaster once again demonstrated the importance of International solidarity,” he said.

“Our world is facing a multitude of challenges, including natural disasters, climate change, migration and warfare.

“Disruptions in the supply chain, natural disasters induced by climate change, the Russia-Ukraine war, the food and energy crisis and rising global inflation all pose challenges to the global economy and development initiatives.

“In this current equation, Turkey and the Gulf countries form the central axis for our region’s security, stability, prosperity and economic integration.

“We always say that our own stability and security are inextricably linked to the stability and secure of the Gulf region.”

Earlier in the day, Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation's emergencies programme told the World Government Summit that investment in communities would become more important in the future to protect them from other potential disasters.

“I have spent the last few days in Syria and what was re-enforced to me was the courage shown in the face of crisis,” he said.

“Yes, we need innovation and to build infrastructure but the people pulled from buildings were done so by their families, their sons and daughters, as were the surgeons and nurses treating the wounded in their local communities.

“We must remember that emergencies begin and end in our communities.

“There are only two things we need to do in a crisis: We protect communities and we provide safe, scalable clinical care.”