“Today he did what most presidents do in such a disaster area: show compassion for the victims,” said Turkey correspondent Joost Lagendijk. He also shows that he and the Turkish government have the situation under control. There were some problems at the beginning, but now the shoulders are going down and everything should be fine.’
Erdogan also promised that all collapsed buildings would be rebuilt within a year, but according to Lagendijk this statement is too optimistic. Turkish construction companies may have a lot of experience with rapid construction, but according to Lagendijk, on the other hand, there is often corruption in this type of company. “Also, the quality of those buildings is often poor, so that seems like a lot in a year to me.”
Elections
Erdogan’s statements are also partly staged, especially as the Turkish elections are imminent, says Lagendijk. “That housing promise is a clear election promise,” he continues. “I myself expected that it would take longer for the earthquake to play a role in the campaign, but it turns out that two days have already passed.”
Interesting detail: Sweden is also offering aid to Turkey, while those countries are in conflict over Sweden’s NATO membership. However, Lagendijk doesn’t look at us too much. “I think they are just joining 22 other European countries who have also sent rescue teams, and they are not trying to win over Erdogan,” he says. “It won’t work against them, but Erdogan won’t deviate from his position because of the aid.”
Politics
However, that does not mean that the earthquake in Turkey cannot be used to strengthen political ties. While Lagendijk expects it to be mainly humanitarian aid and rescue operations in the coming weeks, questions will later be asked about how such a thing could have happened. “This will break out in a while, and also internationally,” concludes Lagendijk. “If Erdogan wants financial support, he will look to the past.”