Ankara: The Turkish president on Friday commemorated those who lost their lives in the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes in southern Trkiye on the third anniversary of the disaster, saying the government had kept its promise to rebuild the devastated cities within short order. Recep Tayyip Erdogan commemorated the victims of the twin earthquakes that struck 11 provinces three years ago, stressing the state's continued commitment to preserve their memory and to restore the affected regions.

According to Anadolu Agency, Erdogan expressed his sentiments on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, stating, "We will not forget our brothers and sisters who met the mercy of the Most Merciful due to the two major earthquakes we experienced three years ago today." He emphasized the government's promise to keep the memories of the victims alive and to protect what was entrusted to them while working to reconstruct the cities that were destroyed by the earthquake.

Erdogan declared, "Today, with Allah's permission, we have overcome this challenge and rebuilt and revived our cities in as short a time as three years. We kept our word." His message was accompanied by a video illustrating the destruction caused by the earthquakes and the subsequent reconstruction efforts undertaken across the affected region.

The Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes, centered in the southern province of Kahramanmaras, caused widespread devastation across multiple provinces in southern Trkiye, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and extensive damage to infrastructure and housing. The president is also due to attend memorial services for the quakes' victims later Friday.