ISTANBUL/GAZIANTEP, Türkiye
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday visited the province of Gaziantep in southeastern Türkiye, where he expressed solidarity with residents who survived powerful earthquakes in early 2023.
"I have come here to show my respect and to convey the thanks and solidarity of the Germans," Steinmeier told reporters after visiting earthquake survivors at a container city in the province's Nurdagi district.
Welcomed earlier at Gaziantep Airport by local officials, including Governor Kemal Ceber and Mayor Fatma Sahin, Steinmeier had attended an event marking National Sovereignty and Children's Day, an annual holiday celebrated annually in Türkiye on April 23.
"In southern Türkiye, joy and sadness co-exist. We have just visited a joyful children's festival in Gaziantep and now we are in the region hardest hit by last year's earthquake in February," he said, referring to the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes that hit southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023, taking over 50,000 lives.
More than 14 million people were affected across 11 provinces in Türkiye — Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa — along with many others in northern Syria.
Impact of Syrian war
Pointing out that the ongoing civil war in Syria has also impacted Gaziantep, Steinmeier thanked Governor Ceber and Mayor Sahin for inviting him to the region, acknowledged efforts for Syrian refugees, and praised the dedication of teachers in ensuring that displaced children can continue their education.
Steinmeier commended the country's efforts to provide schooling for many Syrian refugee children born in the country.
Emphasizing the dire circumstances faced by the families he met, Steinmeier underscored the importance of remembering their dual plight — fleeing Syria and becoming victims of devastating earthquakes.
He expressed gratitude to those who provided immediate assistance after the quakes and thanked German authorities for supporting reconstruction efforts for educational facilities in the area.
Steinmeier mentioned that he would exchange views on various issues with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, underlining the need to address ongoing conflicts in the region, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and fighting in the Middle East.
National Sovereignty and Children's Day
The German president also paid a visit to a family in a temporary container shelter in Nurdagi, as well as the local Gazikent Elementary School, talking to students and giving them footballs and national team jerseys of his country as gifts. He also toured an exhibition showcasing students' arts and crafts work.
Ceber expressed gratitude for Steinmeier's visit on National Sovereignty and Children's Day, highlighting strong ties between Türkiye and Germany while citing joint construction projects and sister-city relationships.
He also thanked Germany for its support after last year's earthquakes.
Steinmeier, who had arrived in Istanbul on Monday as part of a visit to the country commemorating 100 years of diplomatic relations, later departed from Gaziantep.
Protests over Germany's pro-Israel stance
Ahead of Steinmeier's visit to Gazikent Elementary School, members of the province's Jerusalem Platform protested Germany's support for Israel as that country wages a deadly offensive in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
The protesters held up banners and signs in German, English, and Turkish, with slogans including "Murderer Israel, collaborator Germany."
Speaking on behalf of the group, Murat Sahin, president of the Gaziantep Branch of the Istanbul-based IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, called attention to the plight of children in the Gaza Strip.
Sahin said the protests would continue until Gaza gains freedom, stating, "We believe that the faithful have always won in this cause and will continue to win. We will see the days when Gaza is free, and Allah will grant us those days."
Steinmeier's vehicle proceeded to Gazikent Elementary School under the security measures taken by the police.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.
Nearly 34,200 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 77,000 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war, now in its 200th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
