Türkiye's communications director has condemned those who try to make political statements in the wake of deadly earthquakes which hit the country, killing and injuring tens of thousands.
"This is no time for politics, and we strongly condemn some statements made by some political figures that seek to sow divisions. We are going through a difficult time as a nation. We call on everyone to avoid making irresponsible statements and to be part of the solution," Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter on Thursday.
Altun also said Ankara is "grateful" for Twitter's support to fight disinformation in the wake of deadly earthquakes.
His remarks came a day after Türkiye reminded Twitter about its responsibilities toward disinformation, false reports, fake aid campaigns, fake accounts and sharing incorrect information on the social media platform.
"The Turkish authorities had a productive meeting with Twitter yesterday. We are grateful for Twitter’s cooperation and pledge to support Türkiye’s efforts to combat disinformation," Altun said on Twitter.
"Disinformation is humanity’s common enemy and a grave threat to democracy, social peace, and national security. We look forward to working more closely with Twitter over the next few days and weeks," Altun said.
Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need to fight against provocateurs who use disinformation to create confusion and distress among the people.
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'Full control' of search and rescue efforts
"Despite the challenges in the first day of our response due to winter conditions and the second major earthquake some nine hours afterwards, in the following days, we have established full control of the search and rescue efforts," said Altun.
"We are still in the search and rescue phase of our efforts, and we will not stop until we find everyone we can. At the same time, as our president indicated, the plans for debris removal efforts are also underway to allow easier access to the affected areas.”
Altun said goal is the full recovery and reconstruction in these 10 provinces within a year, adding that the government is fully committed to providing shelter to anyone who needs it in the meantime.
He noted that certain hotels in the provinces of Mersin and Antalya, including Alanya, had opened their doors to earthquake victims.
"Full mobilization of our coordination centers in every city will allow us to overcome the initial challenges such as road closures and airport access among others. Today, we are in a much better position to address all challenges including fuel oil shortages and heating needs," he added.
This is needed to fight provocateurs who use disinformation to create public distress and confusion, Altun said, adding: "Their aim is to hamper our efforts and break the will of our people."
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At least 17,406 people were killed and 71,806 others were injured by two strong earthquakes which jolted southeastern Türkiye on Monday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.
READ MORE: NATO continues to assist ally Türkiye after deadly quakes
