In his first extended remarks since a devastating earthquake hit southeastern Turkey early on Monday morning (February 6), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made announcements regarding the tragedy in a 15 minute video released on Tuesday afternoon. The video was filmed at Turkey’s State Information Coordination Center with footage of affected areas and relief efforts playing on monitors in the background.
Among the main messages from Erdoğan’s announcement was the declaration of a three-month state of emergency for all 10 of the provinces affected by the quake. The state of emergency would then expire in early May, just days before Turkey’s upcoming presidential election planned for May 14.
In the message, the president also mentioned the Turkish military’s involvement in relief efforts:
“A large number of personnel and security forces belonging to our Ministry of Interior and Turkish Armed Forces have been assigned to search and rescue operations. In addition to its thousands of personnel in the Turkish Armed Forces land units, 10 ships of our Naval Forces and 54 high-capacity cargo aircraft of our Air Forces are involved in search and rescue, evacuation, and transportation of aid materials. Our police force is already on the field with all its personnel. Our gendarmerie is on duty all over the disaster area with its 26 cargo planes, and our coast guard with its ships and boats, in addition to its thousands of expert personnel. Our security guards are also participating in the work.”
Turkey’s disaster response agency, Disaster and Emergency Management Ministry (AFAD), has come under criticism over the past few days for failing to provide sufficient assistance to relief efforts, especially in Hatay province where many remain trapped under buildings over 48 hours since the quake. In his remarks Tuesday afternoon, the president mentioned AFAD’s involvement in transporting volunteers to the affected areas:
“Thousands of our volunteers are on their way to the region under the coordination of AFAD. All of our municipalities send their available vehicles and tools to the region. Thousands of construction machines that will take part in the rebuilding of the area’s infrastructure are on the move towards the region.”
AFAD was originally founded in 2009, inspired in large part by the devastation experienced in the 1999 earthquake that devastated the Marmara region.
Mentioning that many victims had been transported to unaffected regions such as Istanbul and Ankara to seek medical treatment, President Erdoğan also mentioned a 50,000-bed capacity relief shelter that had been constructed in Antalya province.
In his 15 minute address, one section of the president’s remarks caught the attention of many, in which he warned provocators, whom he accused of spreading misinformation about the crisis. The warning came after news earlier in the day that four individuals had been taken into custody for “provocative social media posts” regarding the earthquake.
“While the state and the nation have joined hands, trying to overcome this historical disaster, we have been closely following those intending to set our people against each other with fake news and distortions. Today is not the day to argue with them. But when the day comes, we will open the notebook we are holding now. Our prosecutors will identify those who have attempted to cause social chaos using such inhumane methods, and then we will take the necessary actions swiftly.”
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Interpreted by many as a veiled threat to those criticising the government disaster response online and in media, the video announcement’s stern tone, unique camera angle, and ominous backdrop were heavily discussed on social media Tuesday evening (February 7).
