JICA President Tanaka Visited Türkiye
2024.06.03
From April 23 to 26, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko visited Türkiye. During the visit, he observed the recovery and reconstruction of areas affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake that struck southeastern part of Türkiye in February 2023. He also attended the signing ceremony of the Japanese ODA loan agreement for the Emergency Earthquake Reconstruction Project.
Signing ceremony of the Japanese ODA loan for the Emergency Earthquake Reconstruction Project.
Türkiye, like Japan, is an earthquake-prone country and has been struck by many major quakes over the years. In February 2023, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes hit southeastern part of Türkiye, killing more than 50,000 people and causing unprecedented damage. In the immediate aftermath, JICA dispatched Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) team along with its medical team and provided relief supplies. Since the earthquake, JICA has engaged in various cooperative efforts for reconstruction.
JICA President Tanaka conversing with people living in container housings in the affected area.
Visiting a site in the affected area where JICA’s Japan Disaster Relief team had worked, occupied by a building before the earthquake.
On April 24, JICA President Tanaka visited the disaster-affected provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep. He inspected locations where the JDR team had been active since the day after the earthquake, as well as temporary container house clusters and redevelopment zones. In Kahramanmaraş, he met with Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer and Mayor of Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality Fırat Görgel, to express his condolences to the victims of the earthquake. Furthermore, President Tanaka expressed his expectations for the implementation of the reconstruction plan developed in collaboration between Kahramanmaraş and JICA, and for the “Build Back Better” framework aiming at developing communities more resilient in the face of disasters. He also conveyed hopes that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the disaster will be able to rebuild their businesses through cooperation facilitated by the Post-earthquake Support Project for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, for which a loan agreement was signed in December 2023.
JICA President Tanaka with Mayor of Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality Görgel.
On April 25, JICA President Tanaka attended the signing ceremony of the Japanese ODA loan agreement for the Emergency Earthquake Reconstruction Project in Ankara together with Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek. This project aims to reconstruct/construct municipal infrastructure, housing and ambulance stations, as well as procure new ambulances for the purpose of post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction. Prior to the signing ceremony, JICA President Tanaka met with Minister Şimşek and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki, expressing that the suffering the earthquake created is not someone else’s problem, and commitment to contribute to early reconstruction efforts as a similarly earthquake-prone country.
In addition, JICA President Tanaka met with President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) Serkan Kayalar, where he stated his desire for Japan to promote cooperation in joint efforts with TİKA to assist third countries, to contribute to regional peace and stability.
The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Türkiye. JICA will continue to cooperate with Türkiye for its socio-economic development, including earthquake recovery and disaster risk reduction.
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