The Co-Presidency of the KCK Executive Council issued a statement about the earthquake that hit Kurdistan.

The statement reads as follows:

"Today, in the morning hours, a major earthquake centered in Pazarcık, Maraş, struck several cities in North Kurdistan and other cities nearby. We would like to express our condolences to the people of North Kurdistan and Turkey and wish God’s mercy to those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the injured. We deeply share the pain of our people and all those affected by the earthquake. There are also reports that the earthquake has affected several cities in Rojava and Syria and caused casualties there. We would therefore like to express the same feelings and wishes for our people in Rojava and the people of Syria.

The reason why this earthquake has caused such great loss of life and material damage is the Turkish state and the ruling AKP-MHP government. After every earthquake, this government resorts to some token initiatives and tries to create the perception that it helps the people. These attempts are purely for the purpose of saving their own faces and covering up their crimes. The AKP-MHP government does not take any precautions against earthquakes, and spends all the resources and means of the country on its own cronies and the war against the Kurdish people. While it would be possible to prevent the damage caused by such earthquakes by taking the necessary measures, the AKP, which has been in power for more than 20 years, has not taken any such precautions so far and has thus caused great losses of life. Since there are fault lines and a high risk of earthquakes in Turkey and Kurdistan, buildings and infrastructure should be built accordingly. However, the AKP-MHP government, which is a corrupt war government, steals the budget allocated for earthquakes and spends it on its war policy instead of taking precautions with regards to earthquakes. Therefore, the cause of all loss of life and material damage is the AKP-MHP government, which is responsible for taking precautions but has not done so at all.

We call on everyone, especially the people of North Kurdistan, to show a high spirit of solidarity and mobilize all their available means to help. Our people should not wait for the state, but need to use whatever means they have and try to heal their own wounds. In addition to the rescue efforts, taking into account the seasonal conditions, they need to open their homes to those whose houses have been destroyed and share their means with them. Democratic institutions also need to  be in solidarity with the people, reach out to those in need of support and help them. The people of Kurdistan living abroad need to stand in solidarity with their country and provide support as well. This earthquake, which has caused huge losses of life and material damage, can only be overcome with the solidarity of the people and democratic institutions, sharing their means and supporting each other. We would like to once again express our condolences for the loss of life in North Kurdistan and Turkey, Rojava, Syria and elsewhere, and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. We express our solidarity with all those affected by the earthquake and share their pain and feelings. We believe that we will overcome this difficult and painful time together by showing solidarity with each other as peoples and by sharing our means."