The magnitude 7.8 earthquake which struck Feb. 6 has killed nearly 45,000 people in Turkey and Syria. One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in a century shook residents from their beds at around 4 a.m. on Monday, sending tremors as far away as Lebanon. Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since Feb. 6.

Following the earthquake, tens of thousands of buildings collapsed in Turkey inflicting tens of billions of dollars in harm to the country’s already fragile economy.

Many believe devastating earthquakes in Turkey will leave great economic, and political effects on the country. To know more about the economic and political consequences of the earthquake, we reached out to Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu a senior member of Turkiye’s CHP and veteran politician.

Following is the full text of the interview:

How do you see the economic effects of the earthquake on Turkey and its economic growth?

The devastating earthquake will have a major and lasting impact on the Turkish economy as well as on politics.  The area affected by the disaster was home to extensive manufacturing activity.  Hence there will be significant bottlenecks in the production chain of different goods across Turkey.   Millions will be left without jobs and many will migrate to other regions of Turkey.

All this comes on top of a Turkish economy that is already suffering, among others, from double-digit inflation, high unemployment, and a huge trade deficit.  Certainly, the damage from the earthquake will generate a lot of rebuilding activity.  But this will require massive economic resources which are not readily available, given the fragile state of the economy. In the face of this unprecedented catastrophe, the people of Turkey and civil society organizations have demonstrated remarkable solidarity and unity, while the response of the official authorities has come under heavy criticism.

With the will of the people of Turkey and international assistance, Turkey will eventually overcome the challenges the quake created.  The Government keeps announcing different measures and steps to heal the wounds and meet the needs of the people.  Success will depend on preparing a realistic road map, better coordination, and keeping politics out of reconstruction efforts.

Will the economic consequences of the earthquake affect the internal political balance of the country and the upcoming election?

The earthquake is a monstrous reality and the effects of its disastrous consequences will be with us for a long time to come.  It has already also impacted the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, having generated a debate about whether the elections should be postponed.  The political opposition insists on holding the elections on time.

The Government mulls the question but has not yet made clear its stance on the issue.  The general view is that the response of the Government should have been more immediate, better coordinated, and more target-oriented to the urgent needs of the earthquake victims.  A change in the seat of power is widely expected to occur.  But then those in power, now in their 20th year, want to stay in power and will do their utmost to win yet another term.  I believe free and fair elections will be held on time and Turkey will reaffirm its commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

Will the incident affect Turkey’s foreign policy, particularly towards Syria, EU, Greece and membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO?

The foreign policy being followed will probably not change much because of the earthquake.  Much will depend on the perception of the government of its domestic political needs and priorities.  If a gain in domestic politics is calculated by taking a foreign policy step, it will be taken.  On the other hand, the importance of the so-called earthquake diplomacy is exaggerated.  Disasters produce a lot of sympathy, empathy, and feelings of solidarity.  But they are transient.  But interstate disputes have staying power.  The main issue currently facing Turkey is the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO.  US Secretary of State Bilinken, in his recent visit to Turkey, probably made a strong appeal for Ankara to approve the applications of the two countries.

In terms of the statements made at their joint press conference, Foreign Minister Çavu?o?lu appeared not to be saying “yes” to the call for parliamentary ratification.  Regarding Syria, there might be an opening because the Turkish side had already some preliminary approaches to the Syrian side before the earthquake.  And the devastation suffered by the two countries has brought them closer together in mutual arrangements for the flow of humanitarian aid from Turkey to Syria. Greece extended a genuine hand of help to Turkey which has been much appreciated by our people. But I do not foresee any forward movement in relations with Greece or on the question of Cyprus.  Ankara’s accession negotiations have long been stalled and presently remain static.  Any change will probably come only after the elections in Turkey.

Generally speaking, will the consequences of the earthquake force Turkey to retreat its foreign policy towards the ones which Turkey has challenges with them or will Ankara use the situation as an opportunity to settle problems?

Given the fact that Turkey is readying for presidential and parliamentary elections in a short while, the attention in Turkey will be focused on repairing the damages caused by the earthquake.  There is not enough time to make consequential changes in Turkey’s foreign policy.  Even more importantly, there is no indication that the current power holders in Turkey have the intention to change course in foreign relations.”

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The shallow earthquake in Qiaojia County in China struck late Monday evening, the Yunnan government said on its social media account, AFP reported.

Video clips on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo showed shoppers taking cover in a store as boxes flew off the shelves, while students in a classroom elsewhere scrambled to hide under their desks before covering their heads with textbooks.

The quake hit near the city of Zhaotong, which has a population of over six million and registered 5.0-magnitude, according to China’s government seismology authority.

Around 600 rescue workers have been sent to the disaster area, the Yunnan government said, including firefighters and soldiers from the local division of the People’s Liberation Army.

Videos on social media showed rescue workers combing through rubble and streets littered with fallen tiles and concrete.

Residents could be seen stepping over debris as they left buildings, and trying to avoid rocks that had fallen on a road while riding a motorbike.

China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially in its mountainous western and southwestern regions.

A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province last year killed 13 and injured nearly 200 people, damaging a large number of structures.

A powerful 7.9-magnitude quake in Sichuan in 2008 left 87,000 people dead or missing.

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The strong quake hit an area near the southern city of Ruydar in Khamir County, Hormozgan Province, at 1:34 a.m. (local time) on Monday.

The epicenter of the quake with a depth of 16 km was located at 30 km from Ruydar and 38 km from Bandar Khamir.

The head of the province’s Crisis Management Department said several teams were immediately dispatched to the quake-hit area to assess the damages and casualties.

He added that, fortunately, there were no casualties and the damages inflicted on the houses in the area are trivial.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

On November 12, 2017, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people.

The deadliest quake in Iran’s modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.

Bam in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000 people.

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According to the Seismological Center of the Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, the quake struck an area near the city of Qotur in Iran West Azerbaijan at 9:22 a.m. (local time) on Sunday.

The epicenter, with a depth of 6 km, was determined to be at 38.52 degrees of north latitude and 44.59 degrees of east longitude.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

On November 12, 2017, Iran western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people.

The deadliest quake in Iran’s modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.

Bam in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000 people.

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A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit the small lakeside town of Sivrice, in Turkey Elazig Province, on Friday evening. It also affected neighboring cities.

The Turkish Disaster and emergency management agency, AFAD, announced on Sunday that 31 people had died, the majority in Elazig but at least four in nearby Malatya. Over 1,600 people have also been injured.

Rescuers scrambled all of Saturday and continued searches into Sunday to save people trapped under the rubble. The latest number of the individuals rescued was 45, according to AFAD.

Nearly 80 buildings collapsed while 645 were heavily damaged in Elazig and Malatya, the agency said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Saturday that Turkey’s housing agency, TOKI, would “do whatever is necessary and make sure no one is left without a home.” He attended the funeral of a woman and her son in Elazig on Saturday, and later visited Malatya after canceling a speech in Istanbul.

In 2010, Elazig Province was struck by a 6-magnitude earthquake, claiming the lives of a total of 51 people. In October 2011, an earthquake jolted the eastern city of Van and the town of Ercis, killing at least 523 people.

And on August 17, 1999, a very strong earthquake hit the western city of Izmit, 90 kilometers southeast of Istanbul, killing 17,000 people.

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The tremor hit the town of Sangan, in Khaf County, at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers at 07:59 a.m. local time (04:29 GMT) on Thursday.

Hojjatali Shayanfar, director-general of the provincial emergency department, said, “We have not received any reports of casualties until this moment, but a large area has been affected, which our survey teams are investigating to search for after quake situation in Khorasan-e Razavi.”

However, he added, there has been damage to livestock storage units because the quake-hit area is home to the nomadic population.

Khaf Governor Hossein Sanjarani confirmed that the earthquake had no casualties, but killed some livestock.

Aid workers have been deployed to the affected region, he pointed out.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Leaders of regional countries have extended their condolences over a deadly quake in Iran that hit the northwestern province on Friday, claiming at least five lives and injuring more than 300 people.

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According To Iran News, At least 6 people have been killed and 345 others injured in a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hitting Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan in the early hours of Friday.

According to Tasnim dispatches, the strong earthquake hit an area near the northwestern city of Tark, around 120km from the provincial capital Tabriz, at 2:17 a.m. local time.

The temblor, which occurred at a depth of two kilometers, has killed six people and injured 345 others so far.

Five of the dead were reported in the village of Varnakesh in Mianeh County and another was reported in the village of Varzaqan in Varzaqan County, East Azarbaijan.

The head of the crisis management department of the East Azarbaijan Province said the casualties are likely to increase.

Speaking to Tasnim correspondent in Mianeh, Mohammad Reza Pourmohammadi, the governor general of the province, also said the evacuation of the quake-hit willages has begun.

He added that currently 34 rescue teams from the Iranian Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the affected areas.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

On November 12, 2017, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people.

The deadliest quake in Iran’s modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.

Bam in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000 people.

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