CHP Leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu met with SPD Co-Chair Lars Klingbeil in Gaziantep

Republican People's Party Chairperson and National Alliance Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu met with German Social Democratic Party Co-Chairman Lars Klingbeil and the accompanying delegation in Nurdağı district of Gaziantep, which was affected by the earthquake disaster. After the meeting, CHP leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu made a joint press statement with SPD Co-Chairman Klingbeil.

CHP Leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu said: "We are delighted to see our fraternal Social Democratic Party in the earthquake zone. They wanted to see the situation on the spot. They asked for information about the earthquake. We gave them detailed information. They said they would contribute to the division of labour; their support, especially for Istanbul and Hatay, is precious to us. We believe that this contribution will be valuable in terms of preserving the historical texture and reconstructing the city. Mr. Chairperson came with a large team; we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for sharing our pain."

Social Democratic Party (SPD) Co-Chair Lars Klingbeil said the following about the meeting:

"As the President of the SPD, we are visiting the earthquake zone today with a large delegation. On behalf of the German Social Democrats and behalf of the German Chancellor, we would like to express our condolences. We have seen the earthquake in Turkey and its impact with deep sorrow. We want to express our deepest condolences to everyone who lost their lives. We want to share our most profound grief and pain.

We watched the horrible images of the earthquake in Turkey on German television. We followed all the news very closely. We shed tears together with the Turks in Germany. Our ties between our two countries are so close that almost everyone in Germany has someone who has a relative or a friend in Turkey. They know people who were affected in the earthquake zone. This also expresses how close the two countries are to each other. Therefore, an earthquake is not just a matter of numbers, such as how many people lost their lives or how many houses were destroyed. Again, I want to emphasise that it is a disaster that we feel very close and how many people were directly affected and how many people lost their lives. That is why my delegation and I need to visit the region today.

I also want to express my gratitude for meeting with the CHP Chairperson. Today we were able to meet together, and we discussed what kind of support Germany can provide for the reconstruction of this region from now on. Germany is not only helping financially; Germany is already the most significant donor country to the earthquake zone. Apart from that, experts from Germany can provide support, especially in the reconstruction of cities. German experts can also contribute here, especially to the rebuilding of Hatay. In addition, they can contribute to Istanbul being better protected from earthquakes to be better prepared. We have discussed this issue, and we will discuss this issue directly with the German Minister of Reconstruction, Klara Geywitz. As the German government, we want to support Turkey in this respect."