Days before the anniversary of twin earthquakes that devastated swaths of Turkey’s south-east on 6 February 2023, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned to Hatay province, the area worst hit by the destruction that killed at least 55,000 in Turkey and Syria. Standing on stage in a sports stadium on the outskirts of Antakya, a city once rich in history now all but levelled by the quakes, the Turkish president continued to offer bold promises for reconstruction at break-neck speed, just as he had a year ago.
“No matter what difficulties we encounter or we experience due to reasons beyond our control, there is no stopping or resting for us until we make Antakya a more magnificent, safer and more vibrant city than before,” he declared.
