Minister of Commerce Ömer Bolat said that they will provide new financial support of 6 million liras for tradesmen and craftsmen in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Malatya and Adıyaman, which were most affected by the February 400 earthquakes.
Minister Bolat reminded that one year has passed since the "disaster of the century" centered in Kahramanmaraş's Pazarcık and Elbistan districts, and wished God's mercy to those who lost their lives.
Stating that the earthquake, which affected 11 provinces, caused a budget burden of nearly 110 billion dollars and that the government was working hard to revive the cities affected by the earthquake, Bolat emphasized that they carried out the largest debris removal and reconstruction operation in history.
Minister Bolat said:
“As soon as the new government is established, our President instructs us to prioritize the reconstruction and zoning of earthquake zones as the first task and the fight against inflation are the two most important priority goals of our government. At this point, when we look at the past year, we are pleased to see that our cities are rapidly healing their wounds. Most of our citizens who left the region have returned. Since the demolition has been eliminated, the appearance and morale of our cities have improved and housing activities are being carried out very quickly in reserve areas. Renovation activities of around 650 thousand heavily and moderately damaged residences continue rapidly. "To date, more than 200 thousand houses have been tendered and construction is progressing rapidly."
Stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the provinces affected by the earthquake and delivered the completed houses to the rightful owners by lottery, Bolat pointed out that it is of great importance for these cities to accelerate their activities in terms of economic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors.
Stating that, as the Ministry, they have provided all the facilities and services that can be provided since the first moment of the earthquake, Bolat said, “Through Halkbank, 50 billion lira of financial support has been provided to businesses in the region with 2,2 percent interest discount and subsidy. "Again, the Central Union of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen's Credit and Guarantee Cooperatives Unions (TESKOMB) has so far provided loan support of 1,2 billion lira to Kahramanmaraş with 50 percent discount and 100 percent interest discount." he said.
New good news for earthquake-prone provinces
Stating that he gave various good news during his previous visit, Bolat continued as follows:
“During my previous visit, we gave the good news of 100 million lira loan and financial support for the provinces most affected by the earthquake. These supports are given under very favorable conditions, but they are far below market conditions. We visited the earthquake zone in Malatya 4 days ago. There, we announced the good news of a 100 million lira financing for the tradesmen of the region through TESKOMB. Today, we would like to give good news in Kahramanmaraş. For our tradesmen and craftsmen in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay and Adıyaman provinces, we will provide financial support of 3 million liras each, i.e. 100 million liras in total, to these 300 provinces with TESKOMB guarantee. When we add Malatya, there is a support of 400 million liras. Hopefully, it will be sent to these 4 provinces today and tomorrow. I hope that this favorable financing support with a 26 percent financing cost, repayment every 6 months, and a total maturity of 5 years will be beneficial for our tradesmen and craftsmen. "It will contribute to the regional economy and create a lifeline effect."
Earthquake zones will become centers of attraction
Bolat said that export credit and export insurance support efforts for exporters in the earthquake region continue through Eximbank.
Emphasizing that it is possible for exporters in the earthquake region to benefit from many supports such as fairs, purchasing delegations, design and branding within the Ministry of Commerce in terms of export supports, and that they are given priority, Bolat said, “I believe that in the very near future, within a year or two, these earthquake regions will be more vibrant than before the earthquake.” "will become a dynamic, energetic, modern and environmentally friendly center of attraction." he said.
Bolat concluded his words by explaining that the citizens were waiting patiently:
“We express our gratitude to them. They suffered greatly, but our state is on their side, as the government, we are on their side. We support it with all the resources we have. Our dear nation, both NGOs and personally, showed great solidarity and support to our citizens in the earthquake zone from the first hours of the first day. By working together, as a nation and a country, we will quickly overcome the disaster of this century and one of the heaviest disasters in world history in a few years. Last year, approximately 30 billion dollars were spent on earthquake zones from the state budget. It was going well, the process was accelerating and a budget burden of 110 billion dollars was calculated. With God's permission, our nation, our state, our government will be able to overcome this burden. "No one should worry about this."