KAHRAMANMARAŞ, Türkiye, June 19. New houses in Kahramanmaraş stand a guarantee of hope and unity of nations, Turkish Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murad Kurum said at the opening ceremony of the "Azerbaijan" neighborhood in Kahramanmaraş, Trend's special correspondent reports.
"I warmly greet each of you, as well as all our brothers in the lands affected by the earthquake, all the people of Kahramanmaraş, the homeland of the heroes, with love, respect and reverence," Kurum also said.
The minister noted the significance of the new buildings handed over to the residents today.
"I wish that each new house we hand over will be a blessing for each of our brothers and sisters in the region, as well as for our entire country and nation. Thank you for coming - you have graced this occasion with your presence," he pointed out.
"We have lived through one of the greatest trials of the century - the earth shook, cities collapsed, hearts were torn apart. But from the very first moment, we did not give a second to despair. Together, we held on to hope, together we moved forward. Where there were ruins, we found not only lives, but also solidarity, hope and brotherhood. I thank everyone for this," he said, speaking about the tragedy of the earthquake.
The minister briefed on the continuous work of reconstruction.
"We have worked tirelessly since day one - from rescue operations to temporary housing, from providing basic needs to building permanent homes. We have always been close to our people - at every stage, supporting each person," Kurum explained.
He emphasized that the reconstruction has become a large-scale operation to revive the country.
"We knew that this is not just the restoration of buildings - it is the revival of an entire people. And we have seen again that revival happens thanks to promises kept honestly and with faith, thanks to those who spare no effort and work day and night. We promised not to leave anyone without a roof over their head, and we kept that promise," the official stressed.
Kurum recalled the goals set and their successful implementation.
"We promised that by September we would hand over 100,000 houses - and we did it. By October - 130,000, by November - 155,000, and by January - 201,000. Thank God, we have achieved all these goals," he concluded.