Fatih Yücelik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜRKÇİMENTO, Interviewed by Bloomberg HT TV

Fatih Yücelik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜRKÇİMENTO, was interviewed by Zeliha Saraç in “60 Minutes," a program aired live by Bloomberg HT TV on 8 February.

Sharing his sentiments and thoughts about the earthquake that affected 10 cities, especially Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman and Malatya, Yücelik said:  

“I wish God's grace for our people who lost their lives in these earthquakes, offer our condolences to their family members and advise them to exercise patience, and wish a speedy recovery to injured victims. It is my hope that people will be pulled out of rubble in good condition as soon as possible. It is really a great anguish; our priority right now is to help survivors and rescue of people who are under rubble.”  

Expressing that it was a great devastation, Yücelik stressed that damage suffered in the region would be rectified soon as a result of strenuous efforts.  

Yücelik also touched upon relief materials to be sent to the region on behalf of the industry and went on to say: “Our industry has delivered relief supplies in conjunction with other NGOs. We lent support to our citizens living in that region.  

In addition, plants owned by our members in the region provide equipment and shelters for survivors to the best of their abilities. Our members operating in Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and İskenderun have been mobilized. 

In addition to this, not only our plants in the region, but also our members operating throughout Turkey have delivered medication, blankets, and protective materials, especially construction equipment, to the region. 

Our members have sent a lot of aid to the region from their factories. Here,I would like to thank our members once again. In addition, as the Board of Directors of the Union, we will continue giving support through close coordination with the government. In addition to daily needs, we, as the Union, are planning to establish a container city in the region. Thus, we will partly satisfy the need for accommodation to some extent this way. 

Our support for the reconstruction of our cities affected by the earthquake will continue. At this point, we will undoubtedly be involved and try to heal our wounds together. 

May God help all our citizens and volunteers who support each other in the circumstances.  I personally thank them.”