* On the left: Ruling AKP Chair and President Erdoğan; on the right: Animals that have survived the fires and are currently in treatment (Source and photos: AA)
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Attending a live TV broadcast yesterday (August 4), President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talked about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the forest fires raging across the country for the last nine days.
As was also put forward by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli, President Erdoğan argued, "The responsibility for such fires in residential areas falls on metropolitan municipalities."
Speaking about the losses of animals' lives, he said, "We make payments to the owners of living creatures in the amount of the creatures."
Municipalities
"I would like to explain something here. What is our duty as a state," asked Erdoğan, briefly answering his question as follows:
"Our duty as a state is agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry in the first degree; so, the care of these forests, the rehabilitation of the forests and, may God forbid, extinguishing such fires when they break out. These are our responsibilities in the first degree. But when we come to the residential areas, who is responsible for the fires and the like in the residential areas? It is the responsibility of the metropolitan municipalities there."
Animals that died in the fires
Saying that the people who have lost their animals in the fires will be paid, Erdoğan briefly added the following:
"We went to the Kalemli village of Manavgat; while we were talking to the citizens there, we said, 'Don't be sad at all. In a short time, your animals will come to you, just as the tractors will come to their owners as well. My fellow ministers and lawmakers are now all making efforts for this.' We will hopefully ensure that they will reunite with these animals, tractors and other vehicles."
"Do living creatures not burn if there is a fire in a forest," President Erdoğan asked and continued as follows: "We have taken our measures immediately. We said, 'Lay all living creatures to rest.' We will make payments to the owners of these living creatures in the amount of the creatures. Cattle, sheep or white meat... We will make the payments for them all."
#HelpTurkey social media messages
Erdoğan also talked about the #HelpTurkey social media campaign launched amid ongoing forest fires and is now facing an investigation. "They are so troubled with this... Then, apparently, we are strong. A lie has no legs, as the saying goes; but apparently, this one has," Erdoğan said.
He stated, "They are so troubled with this. Then, apparently, we are strong. What did they do in the face of this? They opened an account called 'Strong Turkey.' A lie has no legs, but apparently this one has. The other one, the one with 'Strong Turkey' has gathered much more standing. We now say that let's take it a step further than this." (AÖ/SD)
