Türkiye decorates local, foreign rescue teams with state medal

ANKARA

Türkiye has decorated local and foreign rescue teams as well as miners, volunteers, civil society and public disaster authorities who saved lives and healed the wounds of the devastating February earthquakes with state medal.

At a ceremony held at the presidential complex on April 25, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan informed that some 55,000 people including local and foreign members of the teams that rushed to the help of earthquake survivors with the State Medal of Supreme Self-Sacrifice.

“I want to thank you once again for your extraordinary efforts on behalf of my people,” Erdoğan said, “We now know our true friends. We will continue to express our gratitude to you in different ways. We will present medals to 55,000 people.”

“Each of you, with your extraordinary sacrifice, has passed into history. You have shown that our grief is common. You have injected hope to us, and you have become the source of pride for your countries,” Erdoğan said, adding the Turkish people will never forget this effort.

The two major earthquakes killed more than 50,000 people and left almost no livable buildings in the 11 provinces, the president stated, explaining the government’s efforts to heal the wounds of the people with the support of the international community.

Erdoğan said the objective of the government is to hand over the permanent houses to the earthquake victims in one year and the construction process has already started in many places in the quake-hit zone.

“We are in the field with all our cadres. We are working 24/7 in the quake-hit region although there is an election campaign. We will not stop until we revive all our cities,” he noted.